Amidst fresh concerns over Pakistan’s inaction against 26/11 mastermind and LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and the United States announcement of a $10 million bounty on him, India will discuss with Pakistan the progress in the 26/11 trial in that country when home secretary R.K. Singh visits Islamabad for the home secretary-level talks. The bilateral meeting is likely to be held in June.
Government officials said that Pakistan has finally shared a fresh set of dates with India for hosting the bilateral talks and the Union home ministry has conveyed that any dates post the budget session of Parliament which ends in May, is suitable for Mr Singh to travel to Islamabad. “We are hopeful that the talks will be held in June,” an official said. The India-Pak home secretary level talks have got postponed more than once since last year. During the last meeting between the two home secretaries in March, it was decided that the talks will be held twice a year. But the proposal, which came from the Pakistani side, did not fructify and the talks could not take place in September last year. Soon after, India had conveyed to Pakistan that the home secretary-level talks can be held anytime after December 23 but Islamabad could not give its consent due to its domestic political situation at that time, sources said. The forthcoming India-Pakistan HS level talks assume significance in the wake of the recently concluded visit of the Pakistani judicial commission