India, Pakistan Hold ‘Positive’ Talks

Posted April 8th, 2012 at 5:05 pm (UTC-5)
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Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari visited India on Sunday and met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi. It was the first visit to India by a Pakistani head of state since 2005.

The two leaders discussed topics ranging from terrorism to the disputed Kashmir region.

During a joint news conference, Mr. Singh said the two countries must find peaceful ways to resolve their differences. He also said President Zardari invited him to visit Pakistan at a mutually convenient date.

The Pakistani leader expressed gratitude for the opportunity to speak face to face with Mr. Singh.

“India and Pakistan are neighbors. We would like to have better relations with India. We've spoken on all topics that we could have spoken about, and we're hoping to meet on Pakistan soil very soon.”

Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said that the Indian side told President Zardari it was imperative to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, which claimed 166 lives, to justice.

India blames the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group for the Mumbai attack.

The chief law enforcement ministers of both countries were scheduled to hold a meeting on the Mumbai attack suspects later Sunday.

Before returning to Islamabad, President Zardari also visited a revered Sufi Muslim shrine in the city of Ajmer in the western Indian state of Rajasthan.