India committed to resolving issues with Pak: PM

Hailing the return of democracy in Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said India is committed to resolving all issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, through dialogue.

"We welcome the return of democracy in Pakistan," he said, addressing the UN General Assembly in New York.

"We are committed to resolving all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, through peaceful dialogue," Dr Singh told the world leaders gathered at the annual meet.

Dr Singh, who spoke after Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, said India was seeking to expand areas of cooperation with all its neighbours in dealing with the challenges of sustainable development and poverty eradication.

Earlier, Zardari vowed to continue the 'composite dialogue' with India to resolve all outstanding issues and said whether it is the 'core issue' of Kashmir or cooperation in water resources, the two countries must accommodate each other's interests.

The two leaders met in New York on Wednesday and resolved to push the composite dialogue. They also announced some confidence building measures like launch of cross-LoC trade on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and Poonch-Rawalkot routes.

In his address to the world body, Dr Singh also voiced concern over the situation in Afghanistan and said the international community must pool all its resources to ensure the success of reconstruction efforts there.

Dr Singh, while talking about India's neighbourhood, welcomed the formation of democratically-elected governments in Nepal and Bhutan.