Dr Singh should take the initiative, says Pakistan

The Pakistan government believes Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should back up his call for re-engagement with concrete measures aimed at addressing key outstanding issues like the Kashmir dispute and security concerns, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.

Responding to Singh's call for continuing the process of engagement with Pakistan, the sources said Islamabad is keen on a "sustained and meaningful dialogue" on all outstanding issues.

However, the sources made it clear that the ball was now in India's court to propose concrete measures aimed at addressing issues of concern to Pakistan, including the dragging Kashmir dispute, the standoff on the Siachen glacier and peace and security in South Asia.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi already said he would take up India's invitation to visit New Delhi towards the end of the year for talks with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna only if the parleys are meaningful and result-oriented.

During an interaction with editors in New Delhi, Prime Minister Singh said he was hopeful that Qureshi would accept the invitation to come to India for talks.

The last round of talks between Qureshi and Krishna in Islamabad in July broke down on the issue of framing a roadmap for future engagements after the Pakistani side insisted that the parleys should focus on the Kashmir issue, Siachen and security-related issues, including Islamabad's proposal for a strategic restraint regime.

The two sides reportedly made greater progress in drawing up a schedule of meetings on other non-controversial issues like trade and commerce, cultural exchanges and confidence-building measures in Kashmir.

The diplomatic sources said Pakistan's decision to free 442 Indian fishermen who had completed their prison terms after being arrested for violating maritime boundaries and India's move to provide $25 million as aid for victims of the devastating floods in Pakistan could help bridge the trust deficit between the two sides.