ISLAMABAD, July 27: Pakistan and India on Wednesday agreed in principle to expand the 1974 Bilateral Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines to increase the number of shrines to visit and pilgrims in both countries. A joint statement announced this, which was issued by the two sides at the conclusion of the second round of talks on “Promotion of Friendly Exchanges in Various Fields” here.

However, the statement did not specify the number of shrines and pilgrims increased. However, the head of Indian delegation, Mrs Nina Ranjan, said on record after talks on Tuesday that India would increase the number of centres for Pakistani pilgrims from five to 13 and double the number of pilgrims from 1,500 to 3,000.

The two sides also agreed to initiate discussions to revive the 1988 Bilateral Cultural Agreement aimed at enhancing social and cultural interaction between the two countries. “The two delegations held detailed and constructive discussions on the proposals already exchanged during the last round of talks in New Delhi in 2004 and the fresh proposals tabled during the meeting,” the statement said.

The talks covered the fields of art, culture, sports, tourism, youth affairs, education, media and archaeology, it added. According to the statement, the second round of talks under the framework of the Composite Dialogue were held “in a friendly” atmosphere.

The Pakistani delegation was led by Mr Jalil Abbas, secretary, ministry of culture, sports and youth affairs division. Mrs Neena Ranjan, secretary, ministry of culture, led the Indian delegation. The Indian team also called on Mr Muhammad Ajmal Khan, minister for culture, sports and youth affairs, said the joint statement.