New Delhi: Ending a long freeze, India and Pakistan will tomorrow (Feb 16, 2004) discuss in Islamabad the modalities for the composite dialogue process but it may take some more time before the two sides get down to the nitty-gritty of contentious issues like Jammu and Kashmir.

"We are going to start the process agreed to in the joint statement. That will mean looking into modalities for the dialogue process and see what meetings should be organised in the next few months to keep up the dialogue on a sustained basis," Foreign Secretary Shashank said.

In the joint statement, issued after talks between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad last month, both sides agreed to hold composite dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues including Jammu and Kashmir. Musharraf assured that he would not allow Pakistani soil to be used by terrorists against India.

Asked whether the eight-point composite dialogue agreed by India and Pakistan in 1997 would be carried forward, Shashank said that the process would be started and the likely scheduling of meetings taken up.

The eight issues comprise peace and security including confidence-building measures, Jammu and Kashmir, Tulbul project, Sir Creek, Siachen, trade and economic cooperation, friendly exchanges and terrorism.

Foreign Secretaries of the two countries discussed Jammu and Kashmir, along with the issue of peace and security in October 1998, but differences persisted.

About the two sides deciding on when to take up the Jammu and Kashmir issue, Shashank said, "We are trying to put the dialogue in place. Let us not go into specifics." To a question whether India would be carrying any proposal for a dialogue on nuclear stability, Shashank said, "Proliferation is a matter of concern to all countries in the world including Pakistan. It is not a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan."

He said that working on confidence-building measures on the nuclear issue is a bilateral issue without elaborating.

Asked whether the two sides would come out with a joint statement at the end of the parleys, Shashank who leaves for Islamabad on Tuesday (Feb 17, 2004) said that a decision on this would be taken there.

The Foreign Secretary said that the decision to go ahead with the Indo-Pak cricket series next month has "created a suitable atmosphere".

Joint Secretary Arun Kumar Singh, who heads the Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran desk in the External Affairs Ministry, left for Lahore today (Feb 15, 2004) on his way to Islamabad where he will hold two days of parleys with Jaleel Abbas Jilani, Director in Foreign Office for South Asia.

Their parleys would be followed by Foreign Secretary-level talks on Wednesday (Feb 18, 2004) between Shashank and his Pakistan counterpart Riaz Khokhar to work out the modalities for the composite dialogue.