Pakistan and India Tuesday opened high-level talks to review the on-going bilateral dialogue process and to arrange schedule for another round, officials said.
Foreign Secretary of India Shivshankar Menon is leading his country's delegation while the Pakistani team is led by his counterpart Salman Bashir, they said.
The two sides will finalize an agenda for the foreign ministers' level talks which will be held here Wednesday.
Pranab Mukherjee, External Affairs Minister of India, is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad later Tuesday.
During his stay in Islamabad, Mukherjee will hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart.
Mukherjee, who last traveled to Pakistan in February 2007, is scheduled to meet Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf before his talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi Wednesday. He will meet Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani after the talks.
The review meetings will help the two sides to assess the progress made in the fourth round of the eight segments of the Composite Dialogue process and deliberate on how to address the out-standing issues in a more meaningful way.
Both sides will discuss eight segments of the Composite Dialogue including Peace and Security, Confidence Building Measures, Kashmir, Terrorism and Drugs Trafficking, Economic and Commercial Cooperation, Promotion of Friendly Exchanges, dispute over the world highest battle Siachen, waters boundaries and the controversial Wullar Barrage.
Musharraf, who chaired a high-level meeting Tuesday ahead of the talks, was quoted by TV news channels as saying that he welcomed the resumption of the dialogue between the two countries and hoped it would lead to "some fruitful and substantial" conclusion.
Musharraf, who supervised several rounds of talks with India, was given a presentation by the foreign ministry during the meeting that was attended by the Pakistani foreign minister and other senior officials. Musharraf also gave "certain directives on outstanding issues", TV channels reported.
Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq said, "we are committed to the peace process and seek a peaceful resolution of all issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute."
The Indian minister will also meet Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's state-run PTV reported Tuesday that Pakistan would release 96 Indian fishermen and three Indian citizens as a goodwill gesture on Mukherjee's visit.
Source:Xinhua
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