Kasuri, who yesterday went straight to Safdarjung Hospital from airport on his arrival here to meet Pakistanis injured in the explosions, expressed his gratitude to the doctors there for taking “good care” of the patients.

After the 5th Joint Commission meeting co-chaired by Mukherjee and Kasuri, the two sides also signed an agreement on reducing the risk from accidents related to nuclear weapons. On Siachen, Kasuri said Pakistan had proposed early meeting of Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs). Mukherjee, while saying that dates for such a meeting would be worked out later, noted that various proposals have been received from Pakistan and “we are ready to discuss each and every proposal”.

Mukherjee said nine rounds of discussions have been held on Siachen and the fourth round of Composite Dialogue will start on March 13 with the meeting of Foreign Secretaries in Islamabad during which the issue will be discussed further.

The External Affairs Minister also gave to Kasuri a list of relatives of Indian Prisoners of War (PoWs) who want to visit Pakistan to look for their near and dear ones believed to be lodged in jails there. Pakistan had agreed in January to allow relatives of Indian PoWs to visit prisons there. Pakistan proposed the names of four persons to be included in the joint committee of retired judges that the two countries agreed to set up to look into the issues of prisoners in the respective countries. India conveyed that it was in the process of finalising the names for the committee.