NEW DELHI, India – Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna met his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar on Sunday (July 8th) on the sidelines of the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan, Indian media reported.

During a cordial, 30-minute meeting, Krishna urged Pakistan to tackle terror activities against India on its soil, stressing that the normalisation of bilateral ties can "only be in an atmosphere free of terror", The Economic Times reported.

India recently arrested suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Abu Hamza, thought to be one of the men directing terrorists on the ground from a remote location during the three-day attack in November 2008. Hamza, an Indian national, was deported to New Delhi from Saudi Arabia after travelling there on a fake Pakistani passport, according to reports.

India is also concerned about the slow pace of the trials of other accused 26/11 terrorists, and "continued anti-India propaganda by LeT founder Hafiz Saeed", the paper said.

Khar and Krishna had "candid and constructive discussion" in a cordial atmosphere, according to officials. They also shared their assessments of foreign secretary-level talks held in New Delhi on July 4th and 5th.