Indo-Pak home secy-level talks on March 28-29

NEW DELHI: With India and Pakistan recently deciding to resume the dialogue process, the home secretaries of both the countries will hold talks here on March 28 and 29 on a host of issues including the progress in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack trial in a Rawalpindi court.

"Islamabad has conveyed to New Delhi its consent to the meeting after home secretary G K Pillai extended the invitation to Pakistan interior secretary Chaudhry Qamar Zaman last week," a senior official said on Wednesday. India had proposed two sets of dates -- March 21-22 and March 28-29.

The talks next month will be the first structured bilateral home secretary-level meeting on counter-terrorism after the recent Indo-Pak decision to resume comprehensive talks. India had suspended the composite dialogue with Pakistan in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008.

The last home secretary-level talks between the two countries had concluded in Islamabad on November 26, 2008, the day Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) gunmen attacked Mumbai. Incidentally, the LeT attack had begun when then Indian home secretary Madhukar Gupta was still in Pakistan.

Last week, Pillai had told reporters that India would ask Pakistan about the progress made in that country on the 26/11 investigations.

"We will ask for voice transcripts even though the trial court has said no. We will ask them (Pakistan) why they have not appealed in higher courts there. I am sure the high court or the Supreme Court (in Pakistan) may have said that the voice transcripts can be given (to India)," he had said.

India has been demanding voice samples of prime accused in the 26/11 case. The samples include those of LeT terrorist Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Zarar Shah, Abu-al-Qama and others.