India-Pak Joint Anti-Terror Mechanism to meet

New Delhi, Oct 19: In the backdrop of the deadly terrorist attack on former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in Karachi and the bombings in Hyderabad, senior officials from both countries will meet here on Monday to find ways for combating terror.

The officials from the Foreign Ministries of both countries will meet as part of the Joint Anti-Terror Mechanism and stress on several issues including exchange of information regarding terror incidents in either country.

''The Second Round of the Joint Anti- Terrorism Mechanism (JATM) with Pakistan will be held on October 22,'' the External Affairs Ministry said here today.

The Indian delegation at the talks will be led by Mr K C Singh, Additional Secretary (International Organisations), in the Ministry of External Affairs and the Pakistan side by Mr Khalid Aziz Babar, Additional Secretary (UN and EC) in the Pakistan Foreign Ministry.

Discussions in the Second Meeting of Joint Anti-Terrorism Mechanism will follow the mandate given to the group when it was constituted after the meeting of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pervez Musharraf in Havana on September 16, 2006, on the sidelines of the NAM Summit.

The first meeting of the Joint Anti-Terrorism Mechanism was held in Islamabad in March this year, the External Affairs Ministry said.

The meeting comes barely days after India called for ''strong and determined action'' by all governments to curb terrorism in the region.

''The spectre of terrorism confronting our region requires strong and determined action by all our Governments,'' the External Affairs Ministry said today after strongly condemning terrorist attacks on Ms Bhutto in Karachi.

UNI