India, Pakistan in peace pledge

Peace talks were stalled after Mumbai blasts

Top Indian and Pakistani officials have met for the first time since the Mumbai (Bombay) train bombings last month and pledged to pursue peace talks.

Foreign secretaries of the two countries met on the sidelines of a regional conference in Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, late on Monday.

Peace talks appeared to have been stalled after the blasts with India calling off a meeting of officials.

India has accused militants based in Pakistan for helping in the attacks.

Pakistan has rejected the suggestion that militants based in the country were responsible for the bombings in which over 180 people died.

In their first meeting since then the foreign secretaries said that the peace process was important for both the countries.

'Positive'

"The peace process between the two countries is important and all possible efforts should be made to see that the process is not in any way adversely affected," Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran told reporters after talks with his Pakistani counterpart, Riaz Mohammad Khan.

All possible efforts should be made to ensure that the [peace] process is not in any way adversely affected Shyam Saran, Indian foreign secretary

"We have agreed that we will remain in touch."

Mr Khan said that the meeting had been "positive".

"The peace process is important for both the countries .. there is no other option," he said.

"We discussed where we stand and how we should move forward."

Mr Saran said India had conveyed to Pakistan its concerns about militants allegedly based in the country carrying out operations in India.

The two sides had also agreed to share any information either of them had collected in connection with the train bombings in Mumbai, he said.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has said those behind the blasts cannot be pardoned, and that he and his government support any investigation India wants to carry out.

The Indian government has said that unless Pakistan kept its promise to curb terrorism, the peace process would not progress.

Slow progress

Nuclear rivals Pakistan and India began peace talks in January 2004.

They followed a prolonged period of tension after militants attacked the Indian parliament in December 2001. That attack led to both sides amassing troops along their border.

Although both sides have made some headway in improving travel and other ties between them, there has been little sign of progress in solving their core dispute over the divided territory of Kashmir, which both countries claim.