NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan have agreed to be tough with terrorists and criminals on both sides by taking stringent measures.
A joint statement issued on Wednesday at the end of the two-day Home Secretary-level talks on terrorism and drug trafficking said both sides strongly condemned terrorism and underlined the need for effective and sustained measures against terror activities.
While Pakistan Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah cut short his visit and returned home on Wednesday morning owing to developments in Islamabad, both sides wrapped up the schedule on Tuesday itself, Home Ministry officials said.
However, Pakistan officials stayed back to fine-tune issues such as consular access and visa agreement.
In another significant development, both sides agreed to release by August 14-15 the prisoners who had been given consular access, whose national status had been verified and those who had completed their term.
Immediate steps would be taken to reconcile the prisoners’ numbers to facilitate their early release after formalities.
The two sides agreed to release by the same time fishermen held for minor offences and in each other’s custody on completion of formalities. Terming positive the cooperation between the Narcotics Control Bureau of India and the Anti-Narcotics Force of Pakistan, both sides agreed to enhance cooperation and sign a MoU at the earliest.
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