India, Pak conclude Foreign Secretary-level talks

New Delhi, Nov 15: India and Pakistan have set up a Joint Mechanism on Terrorism and agreed on prevention of nuclear risks at their two-day Foreign Secretary-level talks which concluded here today, putting the Composite Dialogue Process (CDP) back on the rails.

India also gave to Pakistani officials some evidence about the ISI's involvement in Mumbai bomb blasts in which nearly 190 people were killed.

Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan told reporters here after the conclusion of the talks that the text of the agreement on Nuclear Risk Reduction had been agreed upon and it would be signed very soon.

On the Joint Anti-Terror Mechanism, he said the two sides had agreed on the mechanism which would be a three-member group, including Additional Secretaries incharge of international organisations.

The mechanism would be a two-way channel which would enable the two countries to share information about terrorist acts.

Mr Khan, after his two days of hectic deliberations with Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon, asserted that the peace process was important for both countries and said he was here for a review meting of the CDP. ''The dialogue has resumed...Peace process is important for both countries.'' Asked whether India had given to him the evidence about the ISI involvement in Mumbai explosions, the Pakistan Foreign Secretary said ''something'' had ben given to him. But it was not for him to examine, he added.

He said he did not see anything about Mumbai specifically but information about banned groups had been given to him and he would get it examined.

Describing terrorism as a ''global challenge'', which had to be fought domestically as well as internationally, Mr Khan said all countries in South Asia were afflicted by the scourge and local action as well as international cooperation was required.

He also objected to the ''finger-pointing'' at Pakistan after the Mumbai bomb blasts saying ''there was almost immediate finger-pointing which we rejected.'' During the past two days of hectic parleys, the two sides discussed various issues incuding terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir, Sir Creek, Siachen and Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs).

Yesteday's discussions were dominated by issues like terrorism and Jammu and Kashmir.

UNI

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