Indian and Pakistani frontier guards on Saturday agreed that civilians accidentally crossing into each other's territory would not be jailed but handed over.
"It was unanimously decided that if any civilian mistakenly crosses into each other's territory he would be handed over to the respective country during flag meetings," Hemant Purohit, Deputy Inspector General of India's Border Security Force (BSF), told reporters in the northern Indian city of Amritsar.
The decision was taken at a day-long meeting of the BSF and Pakistan Rangers here. This was the second meeting in two months.
Other issues discussed included ways to minimise tensions between the two sides and increase the effectiveness of border patrols, another BSF official said.
The Pakistani delegation was led by Lieutenant Colonel Sher Zaman Khan, the official said.
The BSF official said Indian and Pakistani border guards were jointly patrolling the border in three districts of the northern Punjab state - Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Ferozpur.
"Joint patrolling will prove helpful to prevent infiltration on both sides which is of utmost importance to maintain peaceful relations," he said.
The last meeting between the two sides was held on December 20, 2003, when a BSF delegation led by commandant Darbara Singh went to Pakistan.
BSF's Purohit said the border guards also planned talks at senior level, hosted by both sides alternately.
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