The recently-established joint anti-terrorism mechanism between India and Pakistan is expected to hold its first meeting in New Delhi shortly, officials said in Islamabad on Tuesday.
The mechanism, comprising three-member committees from each side, is being jointly headed by additional foreign secretaries of the two countries, the officials said, adding that the first meeting is expected to take place in New Delhi after Pakistan formally notifies the dates.
The mechanism, set up during November 14-15 foreign secretary-level talks in New Delhi, is expected to discuss Islamabad's response to material provided by India about the alleged involvement of Pakistan-based groups in various terrorist attacks in India.
The material was provided by Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon to his Pakistan counterpart Riaz Muhammad Khan during the talks.
The mechanism is aimed at facilitating close interaction between the security agencies of both the countries to discuss allegations of acts of terror perpetrated against each other.
Additional Secretary in the External Affairs Ministry, K C Singh and Tariq Usman Haider, an official of the same rank in Pakistan Foreign Office, are heading the respective sides. The other members nominated to the committee from both sides are from intelligence agencies of the two countries.
While New Delhi provided material to substantiate its allegations of the involvement of Pakistan-based groups in terrorist acts in different parts of India, Pakistan said it too would make use of the mechanism to highlight its concerns over allegations of India's backing to the nationalist rebels in Balochistan and other incidents in the country.
India, however, has not formally forwarded evidence of its allegations of involvement of Pakistan-based groups in Mumbai train blasts as charge-sheet was not filed in the case at the time when the two foreign secretaries met.
The joint anti-terror mechanism has been first agreed at a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pervez Musharraf in Havana on the sidelines of the NAM summit in September last year and its structure was formalised by the foreign secretaries.
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