New Delhi: Observing that there has been a spurt in terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir in recent days, India on July 28 asked Pakistan to react substantively to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's peace initiative and show "sincerity" in creating the right atmosphere for dialogue to enable them to move ahead.

"We have repeatedly said the doors to dialogue are open if Pakistan ends its support to terrorism," an external affairs ministry spokesman told reporters when asked about Pakistan expressing its readiness for foreign secretary level talks.

"In the recent days, we have seen a spurt in terrorist violence and what is required is for Pakistan to react substantively to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's peace initiative by taking effective steps which result in tangible movement in ending terrorism," he said.

Pakistan should not seek to avoid this responsibility by only talking about dialogue and the level at which it should commence.

"If there is sincerity in creating the right conditions, then we can move ahead," he said.

There is still no word from the Pakistani side on dates for discussions of the technical level teams for resumption of civil aviation links between the two countries. These were snapped in the wake of the December 13 terror strike on Parliament.

The spokesman made it clear that India was following a "step-by-step" approach in normalising ties with Pakistan.

PTI