Islamabad: US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage on May 8 held talks with Pakistan Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali focusing on Kashmir and the fresh peace moves by India and Pakistan.

Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Chrisitna Rocca, who is accompanying Armitage, was also present at the meeting, which officials said centred on the recent thaw in relations between India and Pakistan.

The top US officials, who would be flying to New Delhi on May 9 after their visit to Afghanistan, also held talks with Foreign Minister Kurshid Kasuri and Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokar.

Besides Indo-Pak ties and the Kashmir problem, other issues that came up for discussion include situation in Afghanistan, fight against terrorism and US-Pak relations, official media reported.

The US officials were visiting the region in the backdrop of the recent announcement of a series of steps by India and Pakistan aimed at defusing tension between them.

Both the countries have announced their intention to restore full diplomatic relations and India has already asked Pakistan to approve the name of its new High Commissioner to Islamabad.

Even as Armitage began his talks in Islamabad, a 13-member Pakistan Parliamentary delegation walked across the Wagah check-post into India as part of an unofficial peace initiative.

PTI