Tuesday, August 30 2005 16:29 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: India and Pakistan today concluded their two days of talks committing themselves to combating terrorism by taking effective steps for the complete elimination of the menace.

Union Home Secretary V K Duggal, reading the joint press statement issued at the end of the parleys, said both sides underlined the need for cooperation between India's probe agency CBI and the Federal Investigation Agency of Pakistan.

It was also agreed that experts from the two sides would meet at a mutually convenient date in the near future to work out modalities for implementation of the arrangement of cooperation between the two agencies.

Both sides agreed to implement the decisions arrived at by the foreign secretaries in December 2004 on the prisoners and reiterated their commitment to provide immediate notification of the arrest made by either side, provide consular access to all persons within three months of arrest and relieve prisoners immediately on completion of their sentence and nationality verification, the joint statement said.

They also agreed to relieve all fishermen and civilian prisoners who had completed sentence and whose national status was confirmed on September 12. Both sides noted with satisfaction the continuing cooperation and exchange of information between narcotic control agencies of both countries and agreed that a Memorandum of Understanding between them would be finalised and signed shortly, the statement said. The MoU aims at putting in place a regular institutional mechanism to intensify mutual cooperation and liaison on drug control matters.

The two sides also agreed to continue the discussions within the framework of composite dialogue process.

Duggal said the talks were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere and deliberations were frank and forthright. While Duggal was leading the Indian side at the talks which began at a five star hotel here yesterday, the 11-member Pakistani delegation was led by its interior secretary Sayed Kamal Shah.