Pak Interior Minister's visit to India kicks off today

, Dec 14: A revised visa agreement between India and

will be put into effect on Friday when Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik arrives in India on a three-day visit, official sources said on Thursday. The two neighbours were also set to discuss counter-terrorism, border management, fake currency notes and cooperation among security and probe agencies, besides the revised visa regime.

Malik will also meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj on December 15, sources said. The Pakistani minister will be accompanied by members from his ministry as well the foreign ministry and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and others. This is Malik's maiden visit to India. He was invited by Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde.

From the Indian side, Shinde, his junior RPN Singh and senior official from the home ministry, external affairs ministry and other security agencies would take part in the talks.

Malik's visit was postponed earlier by the Indian authorities as it coincided with the fourth anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. Other sources, however, suspected that it was more because of the execution of Ajmal Kasab, the Pakistan-backed terrorist who was convicted of carrying out the devastating attacks on 26/11. Kasab was secretly executed at the Yerwada Jail in Pune on November 21.

The Pakistani minister reached four hours late after he took a Pakistan Air Force plane in a change of plans that required fresh clearance from the Indian side.

OneIndia News

(With PTI inputs)