‘Talk to reduce trust deficit with Pak’

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said India must talk to Pakistan to reduce the trust deficit, but only future events can say whether the dialogue initiative is a success or not.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said India must talk to Pakistan to reduce the trust deficit, but only future events can say whether the dialogue initiative is a success or not.

HT Image

Singh said the talk important to have a peaceful neighbourhood — an imperative for the country to “realise its full development potential.”

But, he tempered his optimism with caution. “I'm hopeful this process can move forward. Whether we succeed or not — that, only future events can tell,” he said.

“Pakistan is our neighbour. It is my belief that India cannot realise its full development potential unless we have the best possible relations with our neighbours,” Singh said.

Former Foreign Secretary Lalit Mansingh said that though he was in agreement with Prime Minister’s vision, he had his doubts as to whether the foreign ministers’ meeting was the

right level to restart the dialogue process when the two countries haven’t decided what to discuss yet.