Ahead of talks with his Pakistani counterpart Riaz Mohammad Khan in Dhaka on Monday, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said that India wanted to take forward the peace process but Islamabad must give a commitment to abandon cross-border terrorism in whatever form it occurs.
Saran said that India had taken "no step to retard or adversely impact" the peace process despite the Mumbai blasts and pointed out that people-to-people contact and movement across the border was continuing as normal.
"Our message will be that India and Pakistan need to work together. We are neighbours," he told reporters in Dhaka on Sunday night ahead of the first high-level contact between the two countries since the July 11 Mumbai blasts which had led to indefinite postponement of Foreign Secretary-level talks.
"We are engaged in a peace process which is important to both countries and it is very important that in order to allow this process to move forward there must be a commitment to abandoning cross-border terrorism in whatever form it occurs," Saran said.
Asked whether the meeting will discuss new dates for the foreign Secretary level talks, he said "let the talks take place, I can't say anything about it now."
{{/usCountry}}Asked whether the meeting will discuss new dates for the foreign Secretary level talks, he said "let the talks take place, I can't say anything about it now."
{{/usCountry}}Saran and Khan will meet on the sidelines of SAARC Foreign Secretary and Ministerial Meeting.