Indo-Pak Home Secretaries to meet on Monday

New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) Setting a positive tone for
Home Secretary-level meeting here at the Indian capital,
Pakistan Interior Secretary Chaudhary Qamar Zaman on Sunday
said such efforts would enhance peaceful relations between the
two neighbours and that his side would look for an easier and
faster visa regime.
Zaman, who is leading a six-member delegation for the
two-day talks with Indian Home Secretary G K Pillai from
Monday, said his meeting was aimed at promoting and
strengthening peace between the two neighbours.
"Such efforts between the two sides would enhance
peaceful relations and promote people-to-people contact,"
Zaman told reporters at the Attari-Wagah border before flying
to Delhi.
"The entire country has appreciated this gesture of
Hon'ble Prime Minister of India," he said referring to the
invitation extended by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf
Raza Gilani to watch the Indo-Pak World Cup semi-final in
Mohali on March 30. Gilani has accepted Singh's invitation.
Pakistan is also hoping to make some progress with
India on easing the visa regime.
"We will be talking to our counterparts in New Delhi
about how to make travel easier for the common man. One of the
issues we intend to discuss is the visa issue between the two
countries and how to make it easier and faster so that the
common man gets the benefit out of it," he said.
Asked about the expectations from the talks soon
after his arrival in Delhi, he said, "I am sure we will listen
to each and we will come to the expectations after we start
talking".
To a question on cricket diplomacy, he said, "cricket
is very popular in both the countries. This is a
commonality... it should definitely lead to creating further
commonality and harmony".
Pillai and Zaman will meet in the shadow of a summit
meeting between the two sides on the margins of the cricket
encounter in Mohali.
No major breakthrough is expected in the official-
level talks being held after a gap of nine months, officials
here say but they expect "ice may be broken" for the
resumption of substantial dialogue later.
The Home Secretaries will deliberate on a wide range
of issues, including Islamabad's reluctance in co-operating
fully in bringing to justice the perpetrators of 26/11
attacks.
"Pakistan's lack of sincerity in cooperating with
India in any anti-terror initiatives could be the reason
behind little enthusiasm on the part of Indian security
establishment towards the talks," an official said.
The prosecution's attempt in Pakistan to bring the
26/11 guilty to justice "has not moved an inch" and India's
request for providing the voice samples of the handlers of the
attackers has fallen on deaf ears.
When Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram had asked for
action against the 26/11 perpetrators and voice samples of
handlers of the attackers during his Islamabad visit last
year, his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik told him that
"you would not be disappointed by our response."
But nine months down the line, there is no Pakistani
response, officials point out.