New Delhi, July 01: Terming the run-up to elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan by October as a "very critical period", new Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal on Monday said India will closely watch whether Islamabad implemented its commitment to end infiltration and cross-border terrorism permanently before taking "further steps". Sibal, who today took over the top slot succeeding Chokila Iyer, told reporters "We have to closely see whether Pakistan implements its commitments or not. Our experience in the past has not been very positive. Further steps and action will depend on this".
Asked whether India could trust Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to fulfil his pledge, Sibal, a seasoned diplomat, said at this moment one should concentrate on the fact that the international community "is putting pressure on Pakistan and we have to see in coming months what is going to happen".
He said the upcoming elections in J and K and in Pakistan were "very relevant", and added till then (Sept-Oct) "it is a very critical period" to see whether international pressure and what India has been asking for was being complied with by Pakistan and "words are matched with action". Rising from the ranks to the top slot, Sibal, a 1966-batch IFS officer, served as India's Ambassador to France from 1998 before taking over in April this year as Secretary (West). He will have a tenure of 17 months.
The 58-year old Sibal has served in Paris, Cairo, Washington, Ankara, Kathmandu, Lisbon, Tanzania and London besides holding important slots in Delhi. Bureau Report