New Delhi: India does not favour talks between foreign ministers to ease the tensions with Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC).

Responding to Pakistan foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar’s proposal “discussion and dialogue”, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said that direct talks between ministers do not happen in a rush.

In a statement issued in Islamabad on Wednesday night, Khar had said: “It is advisable for the two countries to discuss all concerns related to the LoC with a view to reinforcing respect for the ceasefire, maybe at the level of the foreign ministers, to sort out things.”

However, Khurshid replied: “Let us not rush into the matter and [let us] move step by step.”

The foreign did add, though, that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would decide on Islamabad’s offer of talks.

“The differences have to be resolved and for that we need to proceed with wisdom, keeping in mind the interest and sentiments of the nation,” Khurshid said. “We will await the prime minister’s direction in this regard. Having said that, it is certainly something that we noted and something that we would look at very carefully and let us see what is acceptable. Talks have not frozen between India and Pakistan.”

Khurshid said any problem between the two countries had to be solved by them only.

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI-M urged the Indian government not to call off the peace process with Pakistan despite the brutal killing of two Indian soldiers.

But it underlined that India “should take a firm stand and convey to the Pakistan authorities that such attacks are unacceptable and cannot be tolerated”.

At the same time, New Delhi must “ensure that the dialogue process with Pakistan continues”.

“There should be no curbs on the people-the-people relations being developed between the two countries,” the party said in a statement after the first day’s meeting of its Central Committee.

The CPI-M voiced “deep concern” over the rising tensions on LoC, which divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan.