India releases 14 Pak fishermen ahead of talks in Islamabad
New Delhi, May 18 (UNI) Two days before India and Pakistan are to start the fifth round of the Composite Dialogue Process (CDP) in Islamabad, New Delhi released 14 Pakistani fishermen as a goodwill gesture, officials said here today.
The fishermen, who were from Karachi and Sindh, were handed over to the Pakistani authorities at Wagah border last night, the officials said, adding that the fishermen wee in Indian custody since October, 2007. The fishermen were released as India and Pakistan prepare to begin their fifth round of the CDP from May 20 in Islamabad when the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries meet to discuss various issues under the CDP and review progress on the four rounds held earlier.
After many years, terrorism and infiltration will again top the agenda of their talks which will be held in the backdrop of the Jaipur bomb blasts and the encounter between security forces and militants at Samba in Jammu region.
For the past few years, energy security and economic development have dominated the talks although terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek and Peace and Security Tulbul Navigation Project, economic and commercial relations and cultural exchange are part of the dialogue process.
The talks which will precede discussions between the Foreign Ministers of the two countries on May 21, will be held after a nearly two-year hiatus because of Pakistan's internal political developments.
Foreign Secretary Shivshanker Menon, who will meet his Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir on May 20, said terrorism would be ''very high'' on the agenda.
'Terrorism will be very high on the agenda,' he said.
Sabarimala Lord Ayyappan is a symbol of religious unity and communal harmony. Being born out of Mohini and Lord Shiva, he is also known as Dharmasastha, Hariharan, Ayyanar and Manikantan. There are several temples dedicated to Lord Ayyappan all over India.