By IANS,
New Delhi : In a step toward resuming their stalled peace process, India and Pakistan Tuesday agreed on setting up a hotline for real-time information sharing on terrorist threats, even as Indian investigators were allowed to quiz the 2008 Mumbai attack suspects prosecuted in the neighbouring country.
The two countries – once on the brink of a fourth war following the Mumbai attack – decided on the major trust building measures at a two-day meeting between Home Secretary G.K. Pillai and his Pakistani counterpart Qamar Zaman. The meeting concluded a day before the cricket teams of the two nations play each other in the World Cup semifinal.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani will watch the contest and give a diplomatic impetus to the trust building exercise.
The home secretary’s meeting is seen as a first step towards advancing the sub-continental peace process that was stalled after 10 Pakistani terrorists slaughtered 166 people in Mumbai in 2008, almost triggering an India-Pakistan war.
A joint statement issued after the meeting said they have “agreed to set up a hotline between home secretary of India and interior secretary of Pakistan to facilitate real-time information sharing with respect to terrorist threats”.
The statement said Pakistan has allowed Indian investigators to travel to that country for the Mumbai attack probe as has been long demanded by New Delhi.
“Pakistan conveyed its readiness, in principle, based upon the principle of comity and reciprocity, to entertain a commission from India with respect to Mumbai terror attack investigations,” the joint statement said.
This would translate into India’s National Investigative Agency (NIA) quizzing seven Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists – including its leaders Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Abu al-Qama and Zarar Shah – who allegedly masterminded the Mumbai carnage.
The modalities and dates of the visit will be worked out later through diplomatic channels.
The statement said the anti-terror probe agencies of the two countries would “continue to cooperate in the Mumbai terror attack investigations” and “reiterated their commitment to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reaffirmed the need to bring those responsible for such crimes to justice”.
The Pakistani side updated India on the ongoing trial and investigation in the Mumbai attack.
The home secretary’s meeting will be followed by a meeting of commerce secretaries in April and then by officials of the water resources department. The foreign ministers will meet in July in New Delhi.
India pulled out of formal peace talks with Pakistan following the Nov 26-29, 2008 Mumbai attack. The two countries decided to restart the peace process last month.
And so, when India defeated Australia to take on Pakistan in Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal, Manmohan Singh grabbed the opportunity to invite Gilani to watch the game in Mohali. The two prime ministers will utilise the occassion to discuss a range of issues.
The other issues disucssed during the Pillai-Zaman meeting was the release of prisoners and fishermen by the two countries.
“It was agreed that both sides would release by April 15, 2011 those civilian prisoners, fishermen who have completed their sentence, whose nationality status has been confirmed by the respective governments and whose travel documents have been received.”
They also “shared the concern of the growing menace of” drug trafficking and agreed that cooperation between anti-drug trafficking agencies should be enhanced.
On the contentious issue of tough visa restrictions, the two sides agreed to set up a joint working group to examine the modalities for streamlining the procedure and for giving a final shape to revision of their bilateral visa agreement.