India, Pak curtail CBM talks to one day
MIL/BS Reporter, Jul 21, 2008.
New Delhi: July 21, 2008 - India and Pakistan are likely to take decision on increasing the cross border trade including the launch of the Srinagar-Muzzaffarabad truck service at the fifth round composite dialogue between foreign secretaries Shivshankar Menon and Salman Bashir.
Bashir, who arrived here this morning via Wagah border visited the BJP leader L K Advani just before the latter was to leave for Lok Sabha to take part in debate on the confidence motion against the UPA government.
The Indo-Pak talks had been curtailed from two to one day due to prevailing uncertainty about the survival of the UPA government. Officials sources said while Menon would raise the issue of suspected involvement of the ISI in the deadly blast at the Kabul-based Indian mission, New Delhi was also looking forward to discussing the possible arrangement for sharing power in future.
The day-long meeting is expected to discuss the early operation of truck service on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route and the launch of Kargil-Skardu and Jammu-Sialkot bus services and liberalisation of the permit system for travel across the LoC.
New Delhi at the last meeting had proposed organised tours for groups and pilgrims across the line of control in Kashmir.
The composite dialogue, which was started four years ago, covers eight subjects ranging from the territorial and water-related disputes over the Siachen, Sir Creek, Kashmir and the Wullar Barrage to checking terrorism and drug trafficking, promoting economic cooperation and friendly exchanges in several fields. Pakistan, however, keen to focus on expanding bilateral trade with India by allowing more imports from India, including diesel and fuel oil.
|
|
