This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/6421829.stm

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
S Asia rivals hold terror talks S Asian rivals end terror talks
(1 day later)
India and Pakistan are holding the first meeting of a joint panel to combat terrorism. India and Pakistan have issued a joint statement after the first meeting of an anti-terrorism panel.
The meeting in Islamabad is expected to focus on the fire-bombing of a Pakistan-bound train in India last month. The blaze killed 68 people. It says the sides agreed the guidelines of how the mechanism will work.
India has said it will share with Pakistan details of the investigation. The tone of co-operation does not reflect earlier frustrations expressed by Pakistani officials disappointed at what they called a lack of progress.
The leaders of the two countries agreed in September to set up a mechanism as a way to boost cooperation between the regional rivals. This was the first time the regional rivals had held talks about fighting terrorism together, and that in itself was seen by many as a step forward.
For 60 years the armies and intelligence agencies of Pakistan and India have seen each other as the main enemy. Train attack
So the idea of sharing information to jointly combat terrorism is quite a change and still tentative. The brief statement says the two sides agreed to exchange specific information that could help ongoing investigations or prevent terrorist attacks.
Mutual distrust It says the anti-terrorism panel will meet four times a year, but the two heads of the mechanism can directly discuss any urgent issues.
The two delegations in Islamabad are headed by foreign ministry officials, not security officers. Pakistan had been hoping to hear more about India's investigation into the firebombing of a train last month which killed many Pakistani passengers.
And in theory the agenda has been left open, so the two sides can determine just how this will work. Officials said the Indians only gave them the sketch of a suspect, said to be from Pakistan.
In reality though the recent fire bombing of an Indian train bound for Pakistan is expected to dominate talks. They said the Pakistani side handed over a dossier with specific evidence showing that Indian security agencies were involved in terrorist acts in the province of Balochistan.
In the past India has blamed Pakistan-based Islamist groups for such outrages.
Pakistan says this serves as a handy scapegoat for Indian investigators reluctant to look at extremist Hindu groups as possible culprits.
A measure of the panel's success will be whether it can overcome this mutual distrust.