Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is ``trying hard'' to meet Nachiketa, and find out whether he is being treated as per the Geneva Convention, a Red Cross official said today.

Since last Friday, ICRC's Islamabad branch was trying to get the Pakistani authorities' consent to meet Nachiketa, Michel Duraux, a senior ICRC official in New Delhi, told PTI. "ICRC is hopeful of getting the permission soon," he added.

According to the Geneva Convention, "Prisoners of war are entitled to human treatment and respect for their person and their honour...'' The detaining power shall supplyprisoners of war with adequate food and clothing, provide them with quarters not inferior to those of its own troops, and give them the medical care their state of health demands, it says.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Government has granted the ICRC permission to study the impact of cross-border firing on its areas near the Indo-Pak border affected by the present conflict.

The study, expected to start today, will also look into the needs of people who were shifted from the border areas, Ducraux said. It might take a couple of days to finish the assessment and the report is expected by the end of this week, he said.

"Though the ICRC does carry out routine studies on the Indo-Pak border areas, this study will focus on the impact of cross-border firing and shelling on villagers," he said.

Ducraux was participating in a seminar to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Geneva Convention of 1949, which was inaugurated by Health Minister Dalit Ezhilmalai.