NEW DELHI (July 04 2007): Pakistan and India agreed on Tuesday to work together to tackle drugs trafficking and cross-border crime, officials attending the talks said. The announcement came as deadly violence erupted at a radical mosque in Islamabad, which could force Pakistani interior secretary Syed Kamal Shah to cut his trip short and fly home, an Indian foreign ministry source said.

Earlier, Shah told reporters in New Delhi that the two sides had agreed to "form three groups on different subjects". "These groups will work on minute details of what we discussed in the morning so the two countries can ensure better co-operation," he said.

Indian diplomatic sources told AFP the panels of experts would focus on issues such as drugs trafficking, cross-border terrorism and the deportation of criminal suspects. The two countries do not have an extradition treaty.

"It's a key step forward and we are hoping for a joint statement, which will express a unanimity on issues," a foreign ministry official said. It was not clear when Shah would head back to Islamabad. The talks here were expected to continue on Wednesday.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2007