New Delhi: BJP (Bharatiya Janata party) today (Jan 5, 2004) said the meeting between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad today for over an hour, was a "positive step" in the right direction.

"The talks between the Prime Minister and the Pakistan President in Islamabad was a positive step in the right direction and we hope something concrete would emerge from it," party President M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters in New Delhi.

He was talking to reporters after welcoming the merger of Soshit Kranti Dal led by Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Nagmani into BJP.

He said the party would come with a detailed comment after perusing the details of the talks between the two leaders.

Vajpayee is in the Pakistan capital to attend the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Summit there.

This was the first formal interaction between Vajpayee and Musharraf after the failed Agra Summit in 2001.

The much-talked about meeting was held at the Presidential Palace (Aiwan-e-Sadr), where Musharraf welcomed Vajpayee with a characteristic firm handshake and the two exchanged pleasantries before they held discussions in what was described as a "courtesy call".