Jammu: Hailing resumption of New Delhi-Lahore bus service, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed on May 27 said the new set of confidence building measures announced by the Centre would pave the way for a meaningful dialogue between India and Pakistan.

"Normalisation of relations between the two neighbours is time consuming and a zig zag process and it is good both the countries are moving step by step towards peace and friendship," the Chief Minister said.

"It is good that both countries did not go for a summit meeting and instead taking confidence building measures to pave the way for a meaningful dialogue," he said.

"No one has a readymade formula for an over half a century old problem," Mufti said after dedicating a Rs. 6.27 crore excise and sales tax complex to tax payers.

He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir had a stake in the peace moves as "peace is a life saving drug for them".

"Since we are the worst sufferers of the border tension, people of the state will be the biggest beneficiaries of any peace moves," the Chief Minister said.

He said Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had taken a bold peace initiative, which has been well reciprocated by Pakistan.

PTI