New Delhi: If Sharm-el Sheikh was an attempt by the Manmohan Singh government to continue normalization efforts with Pakistan with or without terrorism, the pendulum has now conclusively swung in the other direction.
In Tokyo to attend a donors' conference on Afghanistan, foreign minister S M Krishna told his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar that "absence" of terror was an essential pre-requisite for normalization of Indo-Pak relations. Sources present at the meeting said Krishna insisted on the importance of bringing perpetrators of the 26/11 attacks to justice and action against terrorists.
The Indian approach appears to have solidified in recent weeks. Last week, during the India-Pakistan foreign secretary talks, it was foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai who said that removing terrorism would be the best confidence building measure between the two countries. Given that India has been pushing CBMs in all areas to reduce the "trust deficit" with Pakistan and to diffuse the focus from terrorism, the return to terrorism as a key benchmark is seen as significant.
In fact, in the past couple of years, there have been many efforts to cut Pakistan some slack. In a sign that PM Singh was willing to go the extra mile with Pakistan, that same PM this week said he needed "suitable outcomes" before travelling to Pakistan.
Magazine : 
.jpg "PMP Institutes")