NEW DELHI: India has proposed two sets of dates — March 21-22 and March 28-29 — to Pakistan for home secretary-level talks, the Press Trust of India (PTI) said on Monday.
It said Indian Home secretary Gopal K. Pillai extended the invitation to Pakistan Interior Secretary Chaudhry Qamar Zaman last week and a response from Islamabad was awaited.
The PTI said it would be the first structured secretary-level meeting on counter-terrorism after the recent Indo-Pak decision to resume comprehensive talks.
Apart from counter-terrorism, the PTI said the talks would cover progress in Pakistan of the Mumbai terror attacks trial and India’s demand for voice samples of 26/11 accused.
More than two years after India had suspended composite dialogue with Pakistan in the wake of 26/11 attacks in 2008, the two sides recently decided to resume comprehensive dialogue on all outstanding issues.
Last week, Mr Pillai had said India would ask Pakistan how much progress on 26/11 investigations was made in that country.
“We will ask for voice transcripts even though the trial court has said no. We will ask them why they have not gone and appealed.
“I am sure the high court or the Supreme Court may have said that the voice transcripts can be given,” he had said.
India has been demanding voice samples of prime accused in the Mumbai attacks case Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and others who it says gave instructions to terrorists who attacked Mumbai.
A Rawalpindi court is hearing a case against Lakhvi and six of his alleged accomplices, who have been charged with planning and facilitating the terrorist strikes.
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