Chidambaram optimistic about India-Pakistan meet

New Delhi, April 30 (IANS) Home Minister P. Chidambaram Monday said he was "optimistic" about the India-Pakistan home secretary-level talks May 24-25 in Islamabad, where the two sides are likely to take forward their discussions on a liberalised visa regime.

Asked what he expected out of the talks, Chidambaram told his monthly press conference here: "There are a number of issues the two sides will discuss and I am optimistic about the outcome."

He also listed trade matters and other confidence building measures along the Line of Control between the two nations in Jammu and Kashmir as other issues that the two home secretaries would discuss at their meeting.

This will be the first meeting between Home Secretary R.K. Singh and his Pakistani counterpart K. Siddique Akbar.

Their predecessors, Gopal K. Pillai and Qamar Zaman Chaudhary, had met in March 2011 in New Delhi.

When Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari had visited New Delhi earlier this month on a private visit, dovetailed to his visit to Ajmer, he and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had felt that priority needed to be given to issues of people-to-people contacts.

In this context, they decided that a liberalised visa agreement which has been worked out should be signed during the next meeting of the home/interior secretaries.