Joint Mechanism on Terror to be given shape

New Delhi, Nov 13: The proposed Joint Mechanism on Terror is likely to be given shape at the Foreign Secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan to be held here tomorrow and on Wednesday.

The two-day talks, which are being held after a gap of nearly one year, will focus mainly on the issue of terrorism besides reviewing the progress on the three rounds of the Composite Dialogue Process (CDP) held so far.

These will mark the beginning of the fourth round of the CDP.

Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan, leading a nine-member team, will arrive here from Lahore this evening for talks with his Indian counterpart Shiv Shankar Menon tomorrow and on Wednesday.

Sources said the Pakistan Foreign Secretary will also call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

He will also meet Kashmiri separatist leaders Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, Yaseen Malik, Shabir Shah and hardliner Ali Shah Gilani at a dinner tomorrow.

Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Omar Farooq will not be able to attend as he presently out of the country.

The Pakistani delegation comprises Additional Secretary (Asia Pacific) Akhtar Tufail, Additional Secretary (UN) Tariq Osman Hyder, Director-General (South Asia) Jalil Abbas Jilani, Director-General (UN) and spokesperson Tasnim Aslam, Director (India) Irfan Ahmad, Director (Kashmir Affairs), Mariam Aftab, Director (Foreign Secretary's Office) Moin-ul Haq and Assistant Director (India) Qamar Abbas.

Pakistan's outgoing High Commissioner to India, Aziz Ahmed Khan, and High Commissioner-designate Shahid Malik will also join the delegation in Delhi.

The sources said the talks between the two Foreign Secretaries would be followed by a meeting of the Foreign Ministers sometime later. However, details about the Foreign Ministers meeting had not been worked out and any such decision would be taken at the Foreign Secretary-level discussions.

According to sources, Siachen Glacier and Sir Creek could also figure at the two-day talks. But no major progress was expected on these issues.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri had recently said both countries were close to a solution on the Siachen issue.

This was however, denied by India.

The talks, assume significance as these are being held after almost a year. These were scheduled to be held in July but were put on hold because of Mumbai bomb explosions.

India says ISI was involved in the explosions and asserts that it has ''credible'' evidence in support of the claim.

Some of the evidence would be handed over to Pakistani officials at the Foreign Secretary-level meeting.

UNI