Nirupama Rao’s comments capped two days of meetings in Islamabad between delegations from the countries, the first formal talks between the neighbors on the disputed region of Kashmir since the attacks in Mumbai.
Both nations claim Kashmir in its entirety and have fought two of their three wars over the region since 1947.
The siege of Mumbai killed 166 people and has been blamed on terrorists belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba. But Pakistan has denied any state institutions played a role in the attack on Mumbai.
“We must do away with the shadow of the gun and extremist violence because it’s only in the atmosphere free of terror and violence that we can discuss the resolution of such a complex issue’’ as Kashmir, Rao said during a press conference with her Pakistani counterpart, Salman Bashir.
Pakistan has nudged India to push ahead with talks even as it has struggled to stem the growth of the Taliban and other militants who have proliferated on its soil since the US invasion of Afghanistan.
