‘Civilian’ prisoners now focus of Indo-Pak talks

Pakistan, whose Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah arrived here today, said the people of both the countries were interested in the issue of “civilian” prisoners. These are the people who had either overstayed or had committed a crime during their stay. But the issue of prisoners who were being held on charges related to national security is unlikely to be taken up officially, sources said. The Union Home Ministry expressed optimism and hoped that the meeting would contribute to confidence building and increasing people-to-people contact.

The Indian side, led by Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta, will also request Pakistan to increase the level of cooperation in tackling terrorism. The presence of training camps across the border and the increase in infiltration levels in Jammu and Kashmir over the past few months are also likely to figure during the meeting, which comes days after Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil reviewed the security situation at a high-level meeting in Srinagar.

The talks will focus on steps taken on drug control. “An understanding is expected to be reached on early finalisation and signing of a memorandum of understanding between the drug control agencies of the two countries to set up a regular institutional mechanism for co-operation on drug-related matters,” a Home Ministry spokesperson said.