Pak judicial panel’s visit will set tone for talks
Home Ministry Already Asked To Prepare For The Two-Day Dialogue To Be Held In Islamabad
Vishwa Mohan | TNN
New Delhi: Even as Pakistan has done nothing ‘concrete’ to bring perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to justice, its latest move to send a judicial commission to India in connection with the probe and its outcome will set the ‘tone’ for the proposed home secretary-level talks between the two countries in December.
Home ministry officials have already been asked to prepare for the two-day dialogue which is to be held in Islamabad in the third week of December.
“Exact date of the home secretary-level talks will be finalised after the visit of the Pakistani judicial commission which is to be here sometime later this month. India will send proposed dates to Pakistan this week. It will be done after setting up a court or appointing a judge here to receive the Pakistani panel,” a senior government official said.
A multi-member judicial commission will visit Mumbai and record statements of chief investigating officer of the 26/11 case, additional chief metropolitan magistrate — who recorded confessional statement of the Lashkar terrorist Ajmal Kasab — and two doctors who conducted post-mortem of nine Pakistani terrorists who were killed during the Mumbai terror attack in November 2008.
The home ministry had written to Maharashtra government last week about checking/ensuring availability of the magistrate R V Sawant Waghule, chief investigating officer Ramesh Mahale and the doctors so that India could propose dates to Pakistan. Final decision on dates of the panel’s visit will, however, be taken by the Pakistani side.
“Had Pakistan shown some urgency on sending its judicial commission, the home secretary-level talks would have been held much earlier as part of the decision to make such dialogue a bi-annual affair,” said the official.
The decision to hold the talks bi-annually was taken during the last home/interior secretary-level talks in March when both countries agreed to it in order “to remain engaged on outstanding issues”.
Indian officials are, meanwhile, exploring the option of sending an Indian commission to Pakistan as Islamabad had in March agreed for this “based upon the principle of comity and reciprocity” with respect to the Mumbai terror attack probe.
Though Pakistan had promised on March 29 that it would convey to India about sending its commission within four to six weeks (by May 15), the matter did not move at Islamabad’s end for long. Pakistan informed India about the panel’s visit only early this month — nearly six months after its earlier ‘written’ promise.
Other promises of Islamabad like dismantling terror infrastructure and curbing infiltration, made during numerous bilateral meetings between the two countries, have, however, not seen any progress despite New Delhi’s repeated reminders.
In the backdrop of these developments, officials in the home ministry will have no option but to reiterate almost the same points during the talks in December.
On the positive side, officials expect that both countries may take some final decisions on visa issues including multiple-entry and multi-city visas to businessmen and old citizens......................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JSC8yMDExLzExLzE0I0FyMDEyMDA=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
Home Ministry Already Asked To Prepare For The Two-Day Dialogue To Be Held In Islamabad
Vishwa Mohan | TNN
New Delhi: Even as Pakistan has done nothing ‘concrete’ to bring perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to justice, its latest move to send a judicial commission to India in connection with the probe and its outcome will set the ‘tone’ for the proposed home secretary-level talks between the two countries in December.
Home ministry officials have already been asked to prepare for the two-day dialogue which is to be held in Islamabad in the third week of December.
“Exact date of the home secretary-level talks will be finalised after the visit of the Pakistani judicial commission which is to be here sometime later this month. India will send proposed dates to Pakistan this week. It will be done after setting up a court or appointing a judge here to receive the Pakistani panel,” a senior government official said.
A multi-member judicial commission will visit Mumbai and record statements of chief investigating officer of the 26/11 case, additional chief metropolitan magistrate — who recorded confessional statement of the Lashkar terrorist Ajmal Kasab — and two doctors who conducted post-mortem of nine Pakistani terrorists who were killed during the Mumbai terror attack in November 2008.
The home ministry had written to Maharashtra government last week about checking/ensuring availability of the magistrate R V Sawant Waghule, chief investigating officer Ramesh Mahale and the doctors so that India could propose dates to Pakistan. Final decision on dates of the panel’s visit will, however, be taken by the Pakistani side.
“Had Pakistan shown some urgency on sending its judicial commission, the home secretary-level talks would have been held much earlier as part of the decision to make such dialogue a bi-annual affair,” said the official.
The decision to hold the talks bi-annually was taken during the last home/interior secretary-level talks in March when both countries agreed to it in order “to remain engaged on outstanding issues”.
Indian officials are, meanwhile, exploring the option of sending an Indian commission to Pakistan as Islamabad had in March agreed for this “based upon the principle of comity and reciprocity” with respect to the Mumbai terror attack probe.
Though Pakistan had promised on March 29 that it would convey to India about sending its commission within four to six weeks (by May 15), the matter did not move at Islamabad’s end for long. Pakistan informed India about the panel’s visit only early this month — nearly six months after its earlier ‘written’ promise.
Other promises of Islamabad like dismantling terror infrastructure and curbing infiltration, made during numerous bilateral meetings between the two countries, have, however, not seen any progress despite New Delhi’s repeated reminders.
In the backdrop of these developments, officials in the home ministry will have no option but to reiterate almost the same points during the talks in December.
On the positive side, officials expect that both countries may take some final decisions on visa issues including multiple-entry and multi-city visas to businessmen and old citizens......................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JSC8yMDExLzExLzE0I0FyMDEyMDA=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom
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