India, Pakistan resume two-day talks on cooperation in counter-terrorism efforts

ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan today resumed two-day talks on cooperation in counter-terrorism efforts, including the prosecution of those responsible for the 2008 terror Mumbai attacks, and the introduction of a new relaxed visa regime.

An Indian delegation led by Home Secretary R K Singh met a Pakistani team led by Interior Secretary Khwaja Siddique Akbar at a hotel in the resort of Bhurban, about 70 km from Islamabad.

Before the beginning of the talks, the Indian delegation called on Interior Minister Rehman Malik and discussed a wide range of issues, officials said.

During the first day of talks yesterday, the two sides took up a wide range of issues, including counter-terrorism, infiltration, drug trafficking, a relaxed visa regime, networks involved in circulating fake currency and humanitarian matters, including the release of civilian prisoners and fishermen held in jails in both countries.

At the conclusion of the talks yesterday, Home Secretary Singh said India had provided additional evidence against Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Mohammad Saeed and the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks that should be used by Pakistani authorities to prosecute them.

Indian authorities had provided their Pakistani counterparts additional proof linking Saeed to the Mumbai attacks while the Pakistani judicial commission that visited Mumbai in March had gathered evidence against the perpetrators of the terrorist assault on India's financial hub, Singh said.

The additional evidence should be presented in Pakistani courts and used to prosecute the terror suspects. At the same time, Singh said the Mumbai attacks should not be equated with the 2007 bombing of the Samjhuata Express train.