Foreign Secretary-level talks begin in Pakistan

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The Foreign Secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan began here on Friday as a preparatory meeting to finalise the agenda for the parleys of their Foreign Ministers on Saturday.

The Indian delegation, led by Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, included Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal, Joint Secretary (Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan) in the Ministry of External Affairs Yash Sinha and other senior officials.

The Pakistan delegation was led by Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani, High Commissioner to India Salman Bashir, Director General (South Asia) at the Pakistan Foreign Office Zehra Akbari and others.
The meeting is a preparatory one for the talks to be held between External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and his counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar on Saturday.

Both Foreign Secretaries will review the resumed dialogue between the two countries and will brief their respective Ministers.

Both Ministers will also co-chair the Joint Commission Meeting tomorrow, which was revived in 2005 after a gap of 16 years.

This is Krishna's second visit to Pakistan in over two years. Indian officials say that terrorism will form the core of New Delhi's discussions, particularly the slow pace of the Mumbai attacks case.
Other issues likely to figure in the talks include those concerning prisoners as well as trade and border issues.

Agreements on a liberalised visa regime and cultural exchanges are expected to be signed during the visit.