New Delhi — Pakistan Foreign Secretary Naiz A. Naik arrived Monday for a 5 new round of peace talks with Indian officials at a time when relations are strained over Islamabad’s nuclear program.
Naik told reporters at the Delhi airport he was hopeful of making progress on Pakistan’s proposal of a no war pact and India’s offer of a treaty of peace, friendship and cooperation.
The two bordering countries have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947.
Naik is scheduled to hold talks on Tuesday and Wednesday with his Indian counterpart, Romesh Bhandari, and other senior foreign ministry officials.
The talks were postponed last July after India accused Pakistan of aiding Sikhs in the border state of Punjab. India reiterated the charge in Parliament last week.
Naik’s visit follows last month’s meeting in New Delhi of the India-Pakistan joint commission, which made progress in expanding cooperation in travel and communications but failed to make a breakthrough in trade.
The peace talks have been overshadowed by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s frequent allegations that Pakistan is close to developing nuclear weapons. Gandhi told parliament last week that India was taking steps to counter the threat:
Article extracted from this publication >> August 2, 1985
