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Sushma visit to Pak. a signal?
By Atul Aneja

NEW DELHI, FEB. 23. In a significant move, the Government has decided to send the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Sushma Swaraj, to Islamabad to participate in a SAARC ministerial conference.

Official sources said Ms. Swaraj would attend the SAARC Information Ministers' conference in Islamabad in the first week of March. Though bilateral meetings are not slated, Ms. Swaraj, during her stay, may reiterate India's demand for checking the infiltration of extremists in Kashmir that could lead to the resumption of Indo-Pakistan talks.

In agreeing to Ms. Swaraj's visit, India may be sending a positive signal to Pakistan that could help ease the post-December 13 tensions between the two sides, analysts here said. Significantly, India earlier this week sought Pakistan's clarification on whether it was ready to accept freight trains carrying goods that had accumulated along its side of the border after January 1. This subject was raised on Tuesday when the Ministry of External Affairs summoned the Pakistani Deputy High Commissioner, Jalil Abbas Jilani, sources said. India, in the past, has emphasised the revival of economic cooperation to initiate an improvement of its troubled relationship with Pakistan.

While Ms. Swaraj's visit is significant, sources pointed out that the question of cross-border infiltrations continued untackled. India, in the past, had signalled its openness to establish a joint mechanism to curb cross-border movement of terrorists. A visit of the Indian Director-General of Military Operations (DGMO) to Pakistan in the future could be helpful to achieve this objective, analysts said.

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