India and Pakistan, seeking to nudge a slow peace process forward, began talks on Monday to curb terrorism and drug trafficking and work out prisoner exchanges, Reuters reported. As the talks started, the Press Trust of India reported Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf would meet in New York on Sept. 14 to review the peace process. The news agency quoted Singh as saying the two leaders would hold talks on the sidelines of the U.N. summit of world leaders on Sept. 14-16. The two last met in New Delhi in April when they declared their peace process "irreversible". The peace process has seen slow progress over the past two years with a decades-old dispute over the Himalayan territory by far the most contentious issue. Both sides claim the territory. Later this week, the heads of both foreign departments meet in Islamabad to lay the ground for the Singh-Musharraf meeting. The Indian team to Monday's talks in New Delhi on terrorism and narcotics is led by Home Secretary Vinod Kumar Duggal while the Pakistani delegation is headed by Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah. India accuses Pakistan of fomenting a revolt by Muslim militants in Indian Kashmir. On Sunday, troops shot dead four militants trying to sneak into Indian Kashmir, India's army said. At the New Delhi talks, officials from both sides will also discuss prisoner exchanges, after a public outcry in India over Pakistan's decision to execute an Indian convicted of spying. --mor 1416 Local Time 1116 GMT
