Pakistan ready for talk: Musharraf

Seeking to assure New Delhi that there would be no increase in terrorist violence with the melting of snow in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan on Thursday said it was ready to discuss all issues, including Kashmir, with India.

"[Prime Minister Atal Bihari] Vajpayee's offer of talks is a good move and a victory for both the countries," President Pervez Musharraf told a group of editors in Islamabad.

Musharraf flayed reports that Pakistan could be the next target of American pre-emptive strikes. He said nobody would dare to attack Pakistan, which has a missile capability.

In an interview to bbc.com, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said, "If India feels that cross-border terrorism will increase when the snow melts in Kashmir, there is all the more reason to talk with Pakistan. If we talk and talk soon, this feared increase in violence wouldn't take place."

"India keeps saying it is a bilateral issue, but does not want to talk to us. If they can ensure sustained and serious dialogue, we won't press on third party mediation," he said.

"We have heard a lot of belligerent statements from Indian ministers in recent days. However, the Indian prime minister has shown statesman-like qualities in talking about peace," a release from the BBC World Service quoted him as saying.