External Affairs Minister S M Krishna today met his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi in New York with the progress in the Mumbai terror attack investigations in Pakistan being the "focal point" of their talks.
Krishna met Qureshi at the New York Palace hotel on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in the first highest-level contact between the countries since their Prime Ministers met at the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh in July.
The two ministers shook hands and posed for a posse of photographers and cameramen. They also smiled before they proceeded for the keenly awaited talks which came a day after their foreign secretaries had a two-hour meeting.
Ahead of the talks, Qureshi said Pakistan was contemplating appointment of veteran diplomat and former foreign secretary Riaz Mohd Khan as its special envoy on Indian affairs amid reports that Islamabad was mulling
back-channel diplomacy.
"Yes, we are considering very senior former diplomat, former foreign secretary - a gentleman called Riaz Mohd Khan," Qureshi said, referring to reports that Pakistan was to name a special envoy for informal talks with India.
At the UNGA meeting, Krishna had said the Mumbai attacks would be the "focal point" of his talks with Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
"There cannot be any justification whatsoever for such mindless (26/11) terrorist acts. It is our collective responsibility and duty to work together to ensure that terrorists, organisers, perpetrators and supporters of such crimes are brought to justice," Krishna said.
Text: PTI
Photograph: Jay Mandal/On Assignment
