Pakistan welcomes Indian offer

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 24 (UPI) -- Pakistan Thursday welcomed an offer from India to actively pursue bilateral talks to resolve all major issues facing South Asia's two nuclear neighbors.

In his address to the nation Thursday, the new Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said his government would actively pursue "a composite dialogue" with Pakistan and was sincere about discussing all issues, including Kashmir.

Kashmir, a Himalayan valley, has been disputed between the two countries since 1947 and has already caused two wars between them.

"We welcome the statement. ... Pakistan too wants to work for a peaceful, secure and prosperous neighborhood," Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan told reporters in Islamabad.

"We are encouraged by Dr. Manmohan Singh's statement that India is sincere about discussing and resolving all issues, including Kashmir," he said.

India and Pakistan resumed bilateral talks in January when Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Islamabad and signed a peace deal.

But Vajpayee's defeat in May elections caused political pundits to wonder whether the new Indian government would continue the peace process.