Indo-Pak FS-level talks in Islamabad on Mar 13-14

New Delhi, Mar 9: Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan will hold the next round of talks in Islamabad on March 13-14 on issues including peace and security, confidence-building measures and Jammu and Kashmir, launching the Fourth Round of the Composite Dialogue Process (CDP).

''The next round of India-Pakistan Foreign Secretary talks will be held on March 13-14 in Islamabad. The Foreign secretaries will initiate the 4th round of the Composite Dialogue and hold discussions on peace and security, including CBMs and Jammu and Kashmir,'' a brief statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry said today.

Talks between Foreign Secretary Shivshanker Menon and his Pakistani counterpart Riaz Mohammed Khan are being held a week after the India-Pakistan Joint Anti-Terror Mechanism held its first meeting in the Pakistani capital.

The last time the two Foreign Secretaries met was in November 2006 when the two countries finalised the text of the Agreement on 'Reducing Risks from Accidents relating to Nuclear Weapons'.

The agreement was signed in January this year after a meeting between External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri.

At the upcoming Islamabad meeting, the two Foreign Secretaries will also review bilateral relations and discuss some outstanding issues.

Official sources said the two Foreign Secretaries would also discuss visa relaxation between the two countries.

The two countries had agreed in Islamabad in January during the visit of the External Affairs Minister to complete the process of visa liberalisation by February end.

Pakistan has already indicated that it would relax visa restrictions for Indian tourists and raise the limit from five to 15 days.

Pakistan's Tourism Minister Niloufer Bakhtiar has said that Islamabad was considering increasing the duration of stay of Indian tourists from five to 15 days and introducing a tourist section in the passports for the purpose.

UNI