Opposition chief urges resumption of talks

Islamabad: Nizar Ali Khan, the leader of the Opposition in the lower house of Parliament, has urged India to resume its dialogue with Pakistan.

The dialogue between the two neighbouring states was suspended after last November's Mumbai terrorist attacks.

"Pakistan and Indian should resume the dialogue without any delay and resolve all outstanding disputes including Kashmir," Khan was quoted a telling the Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Sharat Sabharwal, in a meeting in Islamabad.

Pakistan and India recently broke ice after seven months of heightened tension and a near-war situation after the Mumbai terror attacks.

Pakistani President Asif Zardari met the Indian Premier Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of a conference in Russia recently.

The Indian premier later said Zardari had sought "some time" to meet Indian "expectations".

Pakistan's mainstream political parties are favouring a resumption of talks with New Delhi at the earliest, and think normalcy in relations is in the best interests of the region.

Khan also urged the Indians to provide all the required evidence relating to the attacks to Pakistan to allow Islamabad to act accordingly.

"The two sides should work closely for the elimination of terrorism in the region," Khan told Sabharwal.

Pakistani President Asif Zardari also urged resumption of suspended talks during his European tour.