Besides counter-terrorism, the two top security officials would discuss narcotics control and humanitarian issues. - File Photo

ISLAMABAD: Peace talks between Pakistan and India will finally resume on March 28 when their interior secretaries meet under the renewed dialogue process to discuss counter-terrorism, with a special focus on progress made by Pakistan in the trial of Mumbai suspects.

Besides counter-terrorism, the two top security officials would discuss narcotics control and humanitarian issues.

The fact that the two countries will be reviving their peace process with dialogue on counter-terrorism is indicative of yet another major concession by Islamabad for Delhi, which remained staunchly opposed to returning to table talks without first talking about terrorism and Mumbai trial.

Additionally, Pakistan had agreed to a special emphasis on its trial of Mumbai suspects at the interior secretaries meeting.

Even though both sides have already announced a series of back-to-back meetings of their high officials over the next few months to discuss some of the thorniest issues in their troubled ties, the outcome of interior secretaries parleys, analysts fear, could have a strong bearing on subsequent meetings.

According to a source privy to the order of meetings on various components agreed between India and Pakistan, talks on issues close to Islamabad will take place towards the later part of the current series of meetings, which will conclude by July with the foreign ministers meeting in Delhi.

The Foreign Office defended the priority accorded to counter-terrorism dialogue: “Pakistan believes that this issue is global and regional and warrants a comprehensive and cooperative approach on the part of all states to eliminate this menace. Pakistan has suffered more from terrorism than any other state.”

In a related development, the Foreign Office said on Thursday it had received a diplomatic communication from Delhi permitting the visit of a Pakistani judicial commission to India to interview key persons linked to the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. “We received a communication from India yesterday. It has been forwarded to the Interior Ministry and experts are looking at the contents of the letter,” Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua said at the weekly news briefing.

Although, the Indian consent to the judicial commission's visit is being seen as a major step forward ahead of the upcoming counter-terrorism meeting, it only happened after the Pakistan government narrowed down the scope of the (judicial) commission and explicitly told India that its continued refusal to allow the trip could benefit Lashker-i-Taiba operations commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, warning that he could get bail or even an acquittal. Indians consider Lakhvi as the 'key suspect'.

Seven suspects are being tried in Pakistan for allegedly masterminding and facilitating Mumbai attacks.

The concessions apparently given to India include a restriction on cross examining the prosecution witnesses and granting Delhi the right to regulate the proceedings of the commission, including an entitlement to disallow questions by the visiting team.

Moreover, Islamabad is no more pressing for quizzing Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, who has been sentenced to death.