ISLAMABAD, Jan 10: Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan will be leading a 10-member delegation to New Delhi next week to discuss with his Indian counterpart the vital issues of peace and security as well as Jammu and Kashmir.

The two-day talks that begin on Jan 17 will mark the start of the third round of the composite dialogue between the two countries. The dialogue is considered an integral part of the ongoing Indo-Pakistan peace process.

The team will leave for New Delhi from Lahore on Monday (Jan16), a day before the meeting.

The delegation will comprise senior foreign ministry officials, including additional secretary (Asia Pacific) Tufail Tauheed, additional secretary (UN) Tariq Osman Hyder, director-general (South Asia) Syed Ibne Abbas, director-general (UN-OIC) and Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam and director (India) Zaheer Janjua.

The foreign ministry has been busy preparing for the crucial next round of dialogue with India. Last week it finalized the strategy for the forthcoming talks after an inter-ministerial meeting and intensive in-house consultations.

Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Mr Aziz Ahmed Khan was also here last week apparently for the consultations.

On top of the talks agenda will be Jammu and Kashmir, the core issue between the two countries. They are expected to discuss President Musharraf’s proposals of demilitarization and self-governance.

Pakistan would also raise the issue of streamlining the procedure of processing applications for travel across the five points opened along the Line of Control (LoC) , informed sources said. Truck service for trade across LoC would also figure in the discussions, they added.

This will be the first high-level contact between the two countries this year and it follows a visit of an All Party Hurriat Conference team to Pakistan.