News
Friday, June 25, 2010
All eyes set on home ministers’ meetingNEW DELHI: After the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan met in Islamabad on Thursday, all eyes are now set on the meeting of the home ministers of both countries, who are scheduled to review more substantive and thorny issues related to terrorism and security. Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram is travelling to Islamabad today (Friday) to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) interior ministers’ conference. On the sidelines of the summit, he will meet Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday. During his bilateral engagements, Chidambaram is expected to seek voice samples of people who were in contact with the Mumbai attackers on the phone. Indian officials believe this would help establish the identity of the planners. Chidambaram will also seek an early ratification by Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal of the SAARC Mutual Legal Assistance agreement on criminal matters to ensure that terrorism is combated effectively. The meeting will also discuss a joint proposal initiated by Sri Lanka and Maldives for maritime security and anti-piracy efforts. Strengthening of cooperation among police forces of the eight member countries is also on the agenda. Pakistan has already objected to the visa rules proposed by India for students and faculty members who want to join the Delhi-based South Asian University. The Indian Home Ministry claims the visas must be issued under existing bilateral arrangements with other countries. Pakistan and Bangladesh are, however, insisting on a more liberal and separate mechanism for visas. iftikhar gilani
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk