India, Pakistan hold talks on fighting crime

Called Saarcpol, the agency would fight crime in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) region, which groups India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives, an official statement said.

The body would be modelled on Europol, which fights cross-border crime in Europe, said the statement from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Indian agency, which is holding talks with Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency officials.

Human trafficking and the smuggling of goods, narcotics and counterfeit currency routinely take place along the India-Pakistan border which is already troubled by an Islamic insurgency in the northern disputed territory of Kashmir.

The talks would also look at appointing special officers for "quick and timely exchange of information on criminal matters," the statement said.

A formal news conference is expected on Wednesday, a CBI official said.

Media reports said the two sides were also likely to discuss immigration issues and an Interpol red corner notice against India's most wanted criminal Dawood Ibrahim, who is believed to be in Pakistan.

The last talks between the CBI and its Pakistani counterpart were held in 1989 in Islamabad.

Nuclear rivals India and Pakistan are currently engaged in a peace process to resolve a range of disputes including their core row over Kashmir, where tens of thousands of people have died in an insurgency against Indian rule since 1989.