Islamabad: Joining President Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has favoured a "timeline" to resolve the Kashmir issue in the next phase of "substantive" talks with India and said "other peripheral" issues should be allowed to take their own course.

In separate interviews to BBC's 'Asia Today' programme and daily 'Dawn', Aziz said there was no limit to improvement in relations between the two countries once the Kashmir issue is resolved.

"We need to have substantive talks on Jammu and Kashmir so that this core issue heads towards resolution. I think other peripheral issues will take their own course," he said while expressing satisfaction over the growing people-to-people contacts between the two countries.

Asked if he was satisfied with the current pace of the peace process with India, Aziz said in a veiled reference to the Kashmir issue that "I think we need to get now into the next phase where we get into some timelines".

Aziz's comments are in line with Musharraf's recent assertions that Kashmir issue should be resolved in a "reasonable timeframe." Musharraf has said a three-year period was enough to find a negotiated settlement.