India ready for talks as Pak acts in 26/11 case

New Delhi: India could soon resume talks with Pakistan when the foreign secretaries of the two countries meet after SAARC Home Minister's Summit in Islamabad.

Home Minister P Chidambaram, Home Secretary GK Pillai, Intelligence Bureau Director Rajiv Mathur are expected to go to Islamabad for the February 26-28 summit.

The foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan are expected to meet after Chidambaram returns from Islamabad.

External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said that the doors to talks with Pakistan were never shut but the only sticky point was the terror outfits operating from in Pakistan.

"The door to talks with Pakistan was never shut. Our focus has always been on terror and terror instrumentalities in Pakistan to be dismantled," said Krishna.

Prime ministers of the two countries are also likely to meet during the two-day SAARC Summit on Thimpu which is to be held on April 28-29.

India has climbed down from its position of no talks with Pakistan following Islamabad's positive moves on 26/11 Mumbai terror attack trials and its decision to prosecute attack accused.

Pakistan has been collecting evidence against the seven people accused by India of masterminding the 26/11 carnage and has also accepted the Indian dossiers relating to the attacks.

Pakistan has also accepted Ajmal Amir Kasab's confession statement as evidence in which he has named Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi as his handler.

Pakistan has been conducting its investigation into 26/11 attacks on basis of Indian dossiers and has already accepted in the court that trawlers/ boats used were bought and financed in Pakistan.

It has also accepted in court that the terrorists were financed and equipped on its soil for the Mumbai attacks.

Pakistan government case also blames Lashkar-e-Toiba for Mumbai attacks.

India, too, has shifted focus on demand for arrest of Hafiz Saeed as a pre-condition for talks while earlier New Delhi had been insisting that dialogue with Pakistan was not possible in the current circumstance.

(With inputs from Suhasini Haider)