Peace process: 'Ball is in India's court'

Observing that the peace process was in the interest of both countries, Pakistan on Wednesday said the ball was in India's court regarding the resumption of the composite dialogue.

"As far as the composite dialogue is concerned, we have a positive attitude," Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri told reporters on the sidelines of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Foreign Ministers meeting in Dhaka.

"We did not postpone the foreign secretary-level talks. It was postponed by India under certain circumstances. Now the ball is in India's court," he said.

India indefinitely postponed the foreign secretary-level talks proposed to be held on July 20 as involvement of elements in Pakistan was suspected in the July 11 Mumbai blasts. Referring to the peace process, Kasuri said neither India nor Pakistan do a favour by talking to each other. It is in the interest of both the countries, he added.

Commenting on suspicion by Indian security agencies that Pakistan-based terrorist groups were behind the blasts, he said there should be no 'knee-jerk reaction' and suggested that New Delhi should focus on investigating the matter rather than 'finger-pointing.'

Pakistan has asked for evidence, but so much time has passed without it being given, he said, adding that even in earlier incidents, no concrete evidence was given by India about link of terrorists with Pakistan. "We also want to know who are behind the Mumbai blasts. We have offered to join you in investigations if there are any leads," he said.

Kasuri maintained that Pakistan had banned terrorist groups. "However, if there is somebody who is religious-minded and is doing charity, we cannot haul him up," he said, in an apparent reference to Jamaat-ud-Dawa leaders, whose arrest was sought by India after the Mumbai blasts.

New Delhi says Jamaat-ud-Dawa is a cover organisation for terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba, which has been banned by several countries, including the United States. Both these groups are headed by the same person -- Hafiz Mohammad Sayeed.