Resuming their Composite Dialogue after a gap of six months, India and Pakistan on Tuesday discussed the recent ceasefire violations with Islamabad giving an assurance that it is committed to maintaining the truce along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Foreign Secretary-level talks between Shivshankar Menon and his counterpart Salman Bashir were held against the backdrop of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s arrival statement here that putting an end to terrorism and violence was necessary for building trust and cooperation.
"Both sides made it clear that they attach great importance to the ceasefire and they want to make it hold," Menon said after talks with Bashir.
He said the matter had also been taken up by their Directors General of Military Operations and both sides are committed to maintaining the three-year-old ceasefire.
India is concerned over the recent incidents of firing on its soldiers from across the LoC. There have been three such incidents since May 8 and an Indian soldier was killed in trans-LoC firing on Monday.
Mukherjee, who arrived here on a two-day visit, said India approaches the next round of talks in a spirit of cooperation, trust and pragmatism. "This is predicated on an atmosphere free from terrorism, violence or the threat of it."
He expressed confidence that the "new democratic environment" would help in addressing various issues related to peace, stability and economic development.
Mukherjee, who will meet his counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday in first high-level contact with the new dispensation in Islamabad, cited the "tragic assassination" of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to emphasise to Islamabad the need for ending cross-border terrorism.