India delivers Musharraf invite

Militant groups are fighting to end Indian rule

The Indian Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, has formally invited Pakistani ruler General Pervez Musharraf for talks.

I invite you to walk this high road with us

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee

A letter to that effect was delivered to Pakistan's foreign secretary by a senior Indian diplomat in Islamabad.

"For the welfare of our peoples, there is no other recourse but a pursuit of the path of reconciliation, of engaging in productive dialogue and by building trust and confidence," the letter said.

It invited General Musharraf to visit India "at your earliest convenience".

It comes two days after India announced it was ending its unilateral ceasefire in Kashmir, and planning to invite General Musharraf to visit Delhi.

Pakistan has already said it will respond positively to the Indian initiative.

Militant attack

Earlier on Friday, at least five Indian security force personnel were killed and two critically injured by a powerful landmine explosion in Kashmir.

The attack happened in a remote part of the mountainous Udhampur district, some 70km from Jammu, the state's winter capital.

It was the first major attack on the security forces since the ending of the ceasefire.

Police said that personnel from the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force, were travelling through the area in a bus when it was blown up by the landmine.

The police say militants triggered the blast with a remote control device.

The pro-Pakistani militant group Hizbul Mujahideen has said it carried out the attack.

"It is our response to the end of the so-called unilateral ceasefire by the Indian Government," a spokesman told the French news agency, AFP.

UN welcome

The latest diplomatic moves over Kashmir have been welcomed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

General Musharraf: Reports said he could come in July

A statement issued in New York said Mr Annan hoped the meeting between India and Pakistan would be arranged "without undue delay".

The talks "would further ease tensions in the region and facilitate a resumption of a sustained Indo-Pakistan dialogue," the statement said.

No date has been set for the meeting as yet - although Indian media reports on Friday said it could take place in July.

India and Pakistan have fought two wars over Kashmir and came close to a third in 1999.