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INDIA : Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari have agreed to kick start peace talks by the end of the year.
Meeting in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Thursday, they also agreed that the peace process was "under strain" from a spate of terrorism in both countries.
Both India and Pakistan have witnessed an increase in terror strikes.
Indian police probing the five blasts in Delhi on September 13 reported that the terrorists had allegedly received training from Pakistan's Intelligence Agency ISI.
The needle of suspicion is also on Pakistan's ISI for the bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul in July.
Meanwhile, Pakistan too is coming to terms with a massive explosion in Islamabad's Marriot Hotel that killed about 60 people including foreign delegates.
President Zardari and Prime Minister Singh together vowed to take severe action and agreed to convene a special meeting of the joint anti-terror mechanism to address mutual concerns.
"Both leaders acknowledged that the peace process has been under strain in recent months. They agreed that violence, hostility and terrorism have no place in the vision they share of the bilateral relationships, and must be visibly and verifiably prevented. Severe action will be taken against any elements directing or involved in terrorist acts," said India's Foreign Secretary Shiv Shakar Menon.
The composite dialogue between India and Pakistan, which had made significant progress since it was launched in 2004, has stalled for months due to political turmoil in Pakistan.
They have now agreed to resume talks within three months. The two sides have also decided to open cross border trade along the northern Jammu-Kashmir border.
"The expansion of people to people contact, trade, commerce and economic cooperation provides an effective platform to develop and strengthen bilateral relations through interference," said the Indian foreign secretary.
There was not much headway on Kashmir, the disputed region between India and Pakistan.
Though Pakistan has agreed to extend the cross border ceasefire, there was no discussion on connecting people on either side of the Line of Control through more buses and trains. - CNA /ls
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