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Pacts unlikely during Pranab's Pak visit


Press Trust of India

Islamabad, January 9, 2007

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's visit is unlikely to see the firming up of any pacts, including liberalisation of the visa regimes, Indian officials have indicated.

The Indian side discounted the possibility in the wake of media reports here which suggested that the two sides would sign four agreements - on nuclear risk reduction, relaxing the visa regimes, speedy repatriation of inadvertent border- crossers and quarterly flag meetings between LoC commanders.

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"If there were any expectations on any agreement including that of liberalisation of visa regime, no preparatory talks have taken place in the run up to the visit of the External Affairs Minister," a senior Indian diplomat said in response to reports in the Pakistan media that four agreements are likely to take place during Mukherjee's January 13-14 visit.

There was little chance of the two sides signing an agreement on "reducing risk of nuclear accidents or unauthorised use of nuclear weapons," which was reached by the two foreign secretaries but the draft has not yet been approved by the Indian cabinet, without which it can not be signed.

Also there was little scope of an agreement to be signed on liberalisation of the visa regimes of the two sides as Pakistan has responded to an Indian draft given in 2005 only few days back and no preparatory discussions have been held on it so far, the official said.

Also preparatory talks have not taken place on any agreement on speedy repatriation of inadvertent border-crossers and quarterly flag meetings between sector commanders at the Line of Control as stated by a media report here recently.

 
 
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