CCS discusses India-Pak home secy talks

The Cabinet Committee on Security on Thursday cleared the agenda of talks to be discussed with Pakistan at the home secretary-level talks between the two countries in New Delhi next week.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Thursday cleared the agenda of talks to be discussed with Pakistan at the home secretary-level talks between the two countries in New Delhi next week.

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Sources said the CCS, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has given its nod to the issues like cross-border terrorism, progress in 26/11 trial and inflow of fake Indian currency notes to be raised at the two-day meeting scheduled to be held on March 28 and 29.

Other issues which will be raised by home secretary Gopal K Pillai with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Qamar Zaman include dismantling of terror camps across the border and handing over of voice samples of Mumbai terror attack masterminds.

All members of the CCS - finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, defence minister A K Antony, home minister P Chidambaram and external affairs minister S M Krishna attended the meeting held at the Parliament complex.

Pakistan is expected to ask India about the progress of Samjhauta Express blast probe in which activists of right wing groups were allegedly involved. Majority of the victims of the train, which runs between India and Pakistan, were from the neighbouring country.

On Wednesday, home secretary Pillai met security czars of the country, including CBI chief A P Singh, Intelligence Bureau Director Nehchal Sandhu, NIA chief S C Sinha, director general of BSF Raman Srivastava, to fine-tune country's stand on the issues to be raised during the meeting with his Zaman.

The proposed talks will be the first structured bilateral secretary-level meeting on counter-terrorism after India and Pakistan decided to resume comprehensive talks.

More than two years after the country had suspended the composite dialogue with Pakistan in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks in November, 2008, the two sides decided in Thimphu in February to resume comprehensive dialogue on all outstanding issues.