India sends dates for secretary-level talks with Pakistan

NEW DELHI: India has proposed two sets of dates to Islamabad for home-secretary-level talks - March 21-22 and March 28-29 - that will cover issues such as progress in 26/11 trial and India's demand for voice-samples of 26/11 masterminds held in Pakistan.

Union home secretary GK Pillai extended the invitation to Pakistan interior secretary Chaudhry Qamar Zaman last week and a response from Islamabad is awaited, according to government sources.

This will be the first structured bilateral secretary-level meeting on counter-terrorism after the recent Indo-Pak decision to resume comprehensive talks.

More than two years after India had suspended composite dialogue with Pakistan in the wake of attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul and the 26/11 mayhem thereafter, the two sides recently decided to resume comprehensive dialogue on all outstanding issues. The agreement was reached between foreign secretaries of the two nations at a meeting earlier this month on the sidelines of the Saarc meet in Thimpu.

Mr Pillai had last week told the news agencies that during the upcoming home-secretary level talks, India would ask Pakistan how much progress it has made on 26/11 investigations.

"We will ask for voice transcripts even though the trial court has said no. We will ask them why they have not gone and appealed. I am sure the high court or the Supreme Court may have said that the voice transcripts can be given," he had said.

India has been demanding voice samples of prime accused of Mumbai attacks case-Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and others - giving instructions to the 10 terrorists who attacked Mumbai.

A special anti-terror court is hearing the case against Lakhvi and six of his accomplices, who have been charged with planning and facilitating the 26/11 strikes. The case will come up for hearing next on February 26.