Click to play videoSharm-el Shaikh: Leaders of India and Paksitan are slated to meet at the NAM summit in Sharm-el Shaikh, Egypt. But Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's agenda is clear as he has resolved to talk tough on terror.
He was addressing the Non-Aligned summit in Sharm-el-Sheikh but it was evident Manmohan Singh had on his mind the talks with Prime Minister Gillani.
"The infrastructure of terrorism must be dismantled and there should be no safe havens for terrorists because they do not represent any cause, group or religion. It is time that we agree on a comprehensive convention on international terrorism," said Manmohan Singh.
India clearly hopes to pin Pakistan down to specific action against the Mumbai attackers and Pakistan is aware that its treatment of Hafeez Sayeed is a test case.
Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said, "We would be very happy if they took the same kind of decisive action against terrorists and terrorist groups in Pakistan which operate against India as they are taking against some of the groups in western Pakistan."
Pakistan PM Yousuf Raza Gilani made his own stand clear for the record, although his reference to Kashmir was largely devoid of the customary Pakistani sting.
"We believe durable peace in south Asia is possible. It will be facilitated by the resolution of all standing disputes, including Jammu and Kashmir," he told those gathered at the meet.
Behind the scenes, the two foreign secretaries are apparently making steady progress. The two had another round of discussions over lunch. Indications are that while terrorism will figure in the talks, so will other issues including resumption of the Composite Dialogue between the two nations.
Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir told CNN IBN, "It was more than terror. We talked about all issues. We talked about bilateral relations. We want to have a broad based engagement. We want to turn the corner in our relationship."
After a month of intense engagement, between the Prime Minister and the Pakistani President Asif ali Zardari, followed by the two nations' foreign ministers, it is now the turn of the two prime ministers to talk it out on Thursday.
All eyes are now on whether the seeming hawk and the so-called dove will be able to sit down and bring India's and Pakistan's fractured positions together.
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