India, Pak agree to share facts on terror acts

The first meeting of the anti-terror mechanism (ATM) set up by the governments of India and Pakistan ended today with both sides agreeing to exchange "specific information" to help investigations into terror acts and to meet every quarter to compare notes.

At the end of the first meeting of the ATM, the two sides agreed to share information for "prevention of violence and terror acts in the two countries."

It was also agreed that while the anti-terrorism mechanism would meet on quarterly basis, any information which is required to be provided on priority basis would be immediately conveyed to the respective heads of the mechanism, a joint statement issued at the end of the two-day talks in Islamabad said.

The mechanism is headed by the Additional Joint Secretaries of both the countries. The meeting began yesterday with the Indian delegation being led by K C Singh, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, and his Pakistani counterpart Tariq Osman Hyder heading the host's side.

The Indian team handed over the photograph of a suspected Pakistani national who is believed to be behind the February 18 Samjhauta Express blasts that killed 68 of the travellers from Delhi to Lahore. Pakistan, however, said the suspect was missing since 2006 and his whereabouts were not known.

Meanwhile, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Navtej Sarna today rejected Pakistani allegations that it was helping the nationalist rebels of Baluchistan, emphasising that New Delhi had "nothing to do" with the developments there.

"The Indian consulates are only working for reconstruction and development of Afghanistan through close co-operation with the people and government of the war-torn country," he said.