India, Pak on right track

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India on Saturday agreed to move on to the fourth round of their composite dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues, besides making joint concerted efforts against terrorism.

Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Kasuri, addressing a joint press conference in Islamabad after some detailed discussions, announced decisions for a meeting of joint commission, formation of a committee of superior judiciary on prisoners, review of visa regime and relaxation on movement of each other’s diplomats.

The two foreign ministers also agreed to conclude agreements on reduction of risk of nuclear accidents, dates for joint survey of Sir Creek and meeting of officials on Siachin.

According to sources in Islamabad, during talks, the two foreign ministers reviewed the progress on all issues on composite dialogue framework comprising peace and security, Jammu and Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, terrorism and drug trafficking, Wullar Barrage/Tulbal navigation project, promotion of friendly exchange and trade and economic cooperation.

Addressing the joint press conference, the Indian external affairs minister said that he has invited Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri to visit New Delhi in connection with the meeting of the Joint Commission which will be held in February 2007. He informed that Kasuri has accepted the invitation. Mukherjee said: “We agreed to establish a Committee on Prisoners comprising retired judges of the superior judiciary to visit jails in the two countries and propose steps to ensure humane treatment and expeditious release of prisoners who have completed their prison terms.”

Confidence Building Measures

1. Retired Indian and Pakistani judges will form a single committee which will visit jails in both countries to look into the plight of prisoners, who have spent long years in captivity. The judges will ensure they are treated well and see that those who have completed their sentence are set free. As of now, because of hostile relations their cases have been overlooked. This is the first time a joint committee with judges from both sides of the border will work together.

2. Joint Commission between India and Pakistan will be held February 2007. Pakistan’s foreign minister will come to Delhi for the meeting. The joint commission will try to do further on trade, tourism, culture and ecology on both sides.

3. Visa’s will be liberalised and work on the new regime will be completed by February.

4. Slew of agreements which are close to be being reached, will be concluded when Kasuri visits New Delhi in February. These include an agreement on reducing the risk from nuclear accidents and speedy return of those who inadvertely cross the LoC or international boundary. Prevention of incidents at sea will also be put in place.

5. The spat over diplomats in each other’s countries not allowed to visit satellite towns like Gurgaon and Noida and Taxila and Hasanabad has been resolved. The two sides have decided to lift the silly restrictions. Hasanabad is near Taxila and is sacred to the Sikhs.

6. Pranab Mukherjee raised the issue of Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails left over from the 1965 and 1971. Islamabad had consistently refused to acknowledge their existence, though their families have always maintained that they are in Pakistani prisons. President Musharraf, responded to Mukherjee’s words by saying that the families will be allowed to visit Pakistan and search look for their missing relatives. “I am a soldier and understand the feelings of the families,” the President told Mukherjee.

7. On Siachen, India and Pakistan decided to ask their officials to meet at an early date and go over the proposals submitted by both sides which are already on the table. Though Kasuri insisted as he has been doing several times in recent months that Siachen could be solved in minutes given political will on both sides, Mukherjee was non-committal and said officials would look into all the proposals.

8. The fourth round of composite dialogue will be held on March 13 and 14. The dates have been fixed, though the decision was already on after the two foreign secretaries in New Delhi.