India to share info on Samjhauta case with Pak

NEW DELHI: The commissions to visit India and Pakistan will be allowed access to investigators and witnesses in the 26/11 Mumbai cases. There is no indication that this can include Lashkar-e-Taiba men Zarar Shah and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi among others held in Pakistan. The Pakistani commission wants to meet the magistrate and officials involved in the trial of surviving 26/11 gunman Ajmal Kasab.

It is significant that the joint statement of the two-day home secretary-level meet mentions a mutual resolve to fight terrorism in all forms and to "bring those responsible for such crimes to justice". India's national investigative agency and Pakistan's federal investigative agency will "continue to cooperate in the Mumbai investigations".

This indicates Indian concerns on Pakistan acting against terror will remain top priority for any movement in ties. The effort in Mohali will be to use an unstructured format to give a political push to the multi-sectoral dialogue.

For the Pakistanis, there is a reference to India sharing information on the Samjhauta train blast, alleged to be the handiwork of Hindu extremists, and a promise to provide an update after a chargesheet is filed in court.

There are positives in terms of sympathetic treatment of those who inadvertently cross land and sea borders and a commitment to combat human trafficking, counterfeit currency, cyber crimes and red corner notices for criminals issued by Interpol. The bugbear of visa formalities will be looked at by a joint group.

The home secretaries' meeting provides the right setting for the high-profile sporting and diplomatic show in Mohali, with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi accompanying Singh in his aircraft from New Delhi.