India, Pakistan to review peace process

Indian foreign secretary Shyam Saran would visit the Pakistani capital from August 31 to September 2 to meet his counterpart Riaz Mohammed Khan for a "wrap up meeting of the second round of the composite dialogue", a foreign ministry statement said.

"The foreign secretaries would now assess the progress made during the second round of dialogue, take stock of the relationship, and outline the course to move forward the dialogue process," the statement said.

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan resumed peace talks -- called "composite dialogue" -- in January 2004 to resolve a host of bilateral disputes, including the row over Kashmir, which is divided between the two but is claimed in full by both.

The second round of this peace dialogue will end on August 29-30 with talks between the home secretaries of both sides, the statement said.

The foreign ministers are scheduled meet in Islamabad on October 4, the release added.

This is expected to be followed by a summit between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Shaukat Aziz on the sidelines of a regional conference in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka in November.

After coming to the brink of their fourth war in 2002, India and Pakistan have steadily improved ties -- reopening air, train and bus routes and reestablishing cricketing ties.

However, analysts say little headway has been made on the territorial dispute in Kashmir, over which the rivals have fought two of their three wars.