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Summary Two days Pakistan-India Interior Secretary-level talks would start today in Islamabad.
The broad agenda of the two-day talks would focus on visa relaxation, multiple visas for traders, on arrival visa for elderly and children at Wagah border, cooperation in anti-terrorism, progress on Mumbai attacks, CBMs on line of Control.The talks would be led by Interior Secretary Khawaja Siddiq Akbar while the Indian side would be represented by Home Secretary R K Singh.In this regard Federal Interior Minister Senator A. Rehman Malik chaired a pre-meeting of Secretary Interior talks Wednesday between Pakistan and India scheduled to be held on Thursday.The Minister reviewed progress of the last Secretary Interior talks between Pakistan and India and gave instructions to move forward.Sources told Online that during the talks Pakistan would review the progress made by India regarding the probe into Samjhota Express, in which a number of Pakistanis lost their lives, and would apprise the India side of its progress on the Mumbai attacks. Meanwhile according to Indian media reports, a 12-member delegation, led by Home Secretary R K Singh, Wednesday left for Pakistan for the Home Secretary-level talks where a relaxed visa regime is expected to be inked apart from New Delhi pressing for action against perpetrators of the 26/11 attack.The visit comes in the backdrop of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardaris visit to India on April 8 during which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had stressed the need for Pakistan to take firm action to curb terrorism to enable India to make forward movement in the bilateral relationship.The Prime Minister had also asked Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack to justice and prevent activities aimed against India from Pakistani soil.These continue to be our priorities, Home Secretary Singh said before leaving for Islamabad.The last round of Home Secretary-level talks was held in New Delhi in March 2011. The New Delhi joint statement had identified cooperation in the areas of counter terrorism, progress in bringing the fugitives of the Mumbai terrorist attack case to justice and a revised bilateral visa agreement as some of the priorities.
