Addu (Maldives):
After a meeting that lasted nearly an hour in the Maldives, the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan said that dialogue between their countries is progressing smoothly. "We have wasted a lot of time in acrimonious debate, we will write a new chapter," said Dr Manmohan Singh.
Dr Singh and his counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani are attending the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit. They met in a beach cottage at the Shangrila resort - their second meeting this year since Dr Singh invited Mr Gilani to India to watch the World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan.
"We had a very good meeting. We are moving in a positive direction ahead," said Mr Gilani. He was complimented generously by Dr Singh, who said he has always believed Mr Gilani is "a man of peace...and that belief has been strengthened in the last three years." He said he hopes that as dialogue continues, he hopes that all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan will be "discussed with sincerity."
It was at another SAARC session in 2010 that the two leaders resolved that it was time to resume the dialogue that had ended after Pakistani terrorists assaulted Mumbai with an unprecedented attack, killing 166 people. Mr Singh and Mr Gilani shared a much-headlined walk together in Bhutan - "the Thimpu Thaw" has been followed up with talks between the Foreign Ministers of both countries.
Members of the Indian and Pakistani delegations have been mingling socially with each other in the Maldives, sharing breakfast tables, and engaging in easy talks - a sign of the new cordial atmosphere.
Dr Singh has stressed in today's meeting that it is imperative that Pakistan take action against those who helped plan and execute 26/11. Seven of them, including Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi, who is a senior leader of terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, are in jail. India has expressed its frustration in the past with the slow trial.
The meeting came days after "positive indicators" from Pakistan like releasing an Indian military helicopter which had strayed into its airspace and grant of the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India - a move that will boost trade across the border.
"We want tomorrow to lead today rather than yesterday to define today and tomorrow," Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar had said on Wednesday, setting the tone for the meeting.
India's Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said the two Prime Ministers want the liberalised visa regime which is being negotiated by the two neighbouring countries to be introduced soon.