New Delhi: India and Pakistan today (Sep 6, 2004) decided to continue the ceasefire, which is in force since November 25, 2003. India and Pakistan also decided to have technical-level talks on Munabao-Kokrapar rail link in October-November this year, External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh said after talks with his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri in New Delhi.

Both countries decided to discuss conventional and nuclear Confidence Building Measures (CBMs), Singh said.

The two sides also decided that the Coast Guards of both the countries will discuss a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation.

India and Pakistan also decided to run a "Special Day" bus between Amritsar and Lahore, he said.

Natwar Singh said Pakistan Foreign Minister had invited him to visit that country and he has accepted the invitation.

Addressing the joint press conference, Kasuri said that he raised the Human Rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir and emphasised the "centrality of the issue" which he said had caused tension and three wars between the two countries.

However, he said, "We are not unifocal on J and K and Pakistan is not interested in discussing this issue alone. We know we can cooperate in other areas ... it is a matter of common sense that in order to have durable peace in South Asia, this (J and K) issue will have to be resolved, hopefully sooner than later."

Kasuri said a joint statement would be issued two days later and hoped that progress would be made on all the eight items of the Composite Dialogue process.

On the nuclear and conventional CBMs, he said experts would meet soon to discuss the proposals made by either side and would be submitting their views to the respective Governments.

Asked when the second round of the composite dialogue would take place, Singh said the two Foreign Secretaries are meeting in December, which would be preceded by a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pervez Musharraf in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly later this month.

"We have to make progress in all areas: political, economic, students exchanges, also the (oil) pipeline and the bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad. We realise that the J and K issue has to be solved within the framework of the Simla Agreement, Lahore talks and the January 2004 (joint) statement," Singh said.

The External Affairs Minister, at the same time, pointed out said that there was an elected Government in J and K. He expressed the hope that the issue would not hold back progress in other areas.

Kasuri said "we are not imposing any pre-condition" but said, "If we wish to put our relations on an even keel, we have to address J and K issue ... It's a matter of common sense."

On the issue of re-opening of the Karachi and Mumbai consulates to facilitate travel between India and Pakistan, Singh said both sides were committed to reopen them at the earliest.

Kasuri said Pakistan has been offered alternate properties to the historic Jinnah House in Mumbai, but these have not been shown. He said the Pakistani High Commission would take a decision on the matter.