NEW DELHI : Amid possibilities of resumption of bilateral dialogue between India and Pakistan, the sixth SAARC meeting on home affairs/interior security and immigration will begin in Kathmandu tomorrow.
Home/Interior security ministers, secretaries and immigration officials from the SAARC nations — India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives — would attend the three-day meeting.
The meeting of immigration authorities will be held tomorrow, while secretaries of Interior/Home will meet the next day. Minister-level session would be held on September 19, a Home Ministry spokesman said.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami and other officials would represent India at the meeting, the spokesman said.
Mr Singh would leave for Kathmandu on either September 18 evening or the next morning to attend the meeting on Friday. Suppression of terrorism, maritime security, piracy, smuggling of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, combating corruption, cyber crimes, mutual assistance in criminal matters, human trafficking and promotion of child welfare in South Asia would be the main issues for deliberation during the meeting.
SAARC meet: Curiosity prevails over resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue New Delhi, Sep 16 (UNI) Amid possibilities of resumption of bilateral dialogue between India and Pakistan, the sixth SAARC meeting on home affairs/interior security and immigration will begin in Kathmandu tomorrow.
Home/Interior security ministers, secretaries and immigration officials from the SAARC nations — India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives — would attend the three-day meeting.
The meeting of immigration authorities will be held tomorrow, while secretaries of Interior/Home will meet the next day. Minister-level session would be held on September 19, a Home Ministry spokesman said.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami and other officials would represent India at the meeting, the spokesman said.
Mr Singh would leave for Kathmandu on either September 18 evening or the next morning to attend the meeting on Friday. Suppression of terrorism, maritime security, piracy, smuggling of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, combating corruption, cyber crimes, mutual assistance in criminal matters, human trafficking and promotion of child welfare in South Asia would be the main issues for deliberation during the meeting.
However, growing possibilities of bilateral talks between Mr Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Nisar Ali Khan on the sidelines of the meet was the matter of prime curiosity in diplomatic and political circles.
Mr Singh and some of his cabinet colleagues for sometime have been giving clear hints on the Narendra Modi government’s positive re-thinking over the opening of dialogue with Pakistan that was called off last month in protest against Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit’s meetings with separatist Kashmiri leaders.
During his visit to Gujarat last week, Mr Singh said, “If Pakistan wants, talks can be held.”
“We want good relations with our neighbours,” he had said. Even at a press conference here last week, Mr Singh did not rule out the possibility of talks with mr Khan on the sidelines of the Kathmandu meet.
Foreign Secretary-level talks were earlier scheduled to be held between the two nations on August 25 that were called off.
(UNI)
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