|
India and Pakistan will meet for the first time in Islamabad to further the anti-terror mechanism devised on the sidelines of the NAM summit in Havana (Cuba) in September 2006 and after it was formally construed last November. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf agreed to this format to share information on and devise strategies to counter terrorist incidents in either country.
India hopes that this format is a short-cut to dealing with terrorism and use the Joint Working Group (JWG) that is part of the composite dialogue process (CDP) as a strategic agreement. Emphasizing goodwill and good faith, this format and requires a committee of senior officials on both sides to meet regularly to share information and act on such intelligence. It does not require joint operations or investigations.
The first meet on terror comes at a time on the heels of the Samjhauta Express train explosions on February 18-19 night that killed 68 people and increasing reports that raises doubts on Islamabad's competence to handle terrorism. Pakistan has been insisting on joint investigations of the Samjhauta Express attack but India has firmly resisted this proposal. However, Singh has promised his counterpart Shaukat Aziz that India will share the results of the investigation of this attack along with information on several incidents that New Delhi believes has origins in Pakistan.
The Indian delegation will be led by External Affairs Ministry Joint Secretary (international relations) K.C. Singh and the while the Pakistani side will be headed by his counterpart Usman Haider.
|
