The routine meeting between Indian and Pakistani border officials on Saturday reached an agreement that civilians mistakenly crossing the porous Indo-Pak border would be handed over to their respective country.

According to the Press Trust of India (PTI), the last meeting between the two forces was held in Pakistan on December 20, 2003 after a gap of two years.

The routine monthly meetings of the two border forces were suspended following the attack on Indian Parliament in December, 2001.

The two sides have reportedly agreed that the civilians mistakenly crossing the Indo-Pak border would no longer languish in jails with the two countries deciding that they would be handed over to their respective country at flag meetings of their border forces.

The meeting discussed matters relating to border security and joint patrolling along the international border, PTI said.

In the past, many people including youngsters have mistakenly crossed into each other's territory and spent years in jail before they were handed over to their respective country.

(Xinhua News Agency January 25, 2004)