Islamabad: Condemning the killing of 24 Kashmiri Pandits as "cowardly and heinous act of terrorism", Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said it was aimed at creating friction between New Delhi and Islamabad, as well as preventing improvement in their relations.

"It seemed clear that this dastardly act had been perpetrated by elements who wished to create friction and did not want an improvement in Indo-Pak relations," he said in a statement on March 26 night.

Musharraf urged the Indian leadership to "carefully investigate and analyse" the "cowardly and heinous act of terrorism" to determine the identity of the elements that were involved "and get to their real motive, rather than levelling allegations.

"Such acts, which have been taking place from time to time are not in any conceivable way in Pakistan's interest. This fact must be realised and understood by the Indian leadership," he said.

Musharraf said Pakistan continued to stand for the peaceful resolution of Kashmir and all other issues, bedevilling relations between India and Pakistan, and expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased.

Earlier, Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri had called for "neutral and impartial" investigations into the March 24 killing of the 24 Pandits in Jammu and Kashmir.

PTI