New Delhi: Indicating that he would not rush into summit-level talks with Pakistan, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on May 3 night said "careful preparations on the ground" were necessary for "meaningful" engagement at the highest level.

Within hours of receiving a formal invitation from his Pakistani counterpart Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali for a visit to his country, Vajpayee wrote back to him on India's commitment to improvement of bilateral relations for which there was an immediate need for an end to cross-border terrorism and dismantling of its infrastructure.

In a cautious and calibrated reply to Jamali, he hoped Pakistan would respond "positively" to his announcement of sending a High Commissioner to Islamabad and resuming civil aviation links on a reciprocal basis.

Answering questions, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said, "It is quite clear that for a meaningful engagement, there has to be careful preparations on the ground."

"That is not done at the highest level," he said implying there should first be official-level talks.

In his letter, Vajpayee recalled his statement in Parliament on May 2 where he said that India has repeatedly expressed the need to create a conducive atmosphere for a sustained dialogue, which necessarily requires an end to cross-border terrorism and the dismantling of its infrastructure.

The Prime Minister's reply "is on its way now to the High Commission in Islamabad to be handed over to Prime Minister Jamali's office", the spokesman said.

PTI