Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who became prime minister last month for an interim period only, told a seven-nation regional meeting of foreign ministers yesterday that the resumption of dialogue between Pakistan and India augured well.

Pakistani and Indian diplomats have had informal talks on the sidelines of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) economic forum being held in Islamabad.

"I want to assure all members of Saarc and indeed the world that Pakistan is committed to pursuing peace with India," Hussain said.

"I am happy to report that with the vision and the will Pakistan has under the leadership of President (Pervez) Musharraf, we have embarked upon a meaningful effort to resolve all differences and disputes with India including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir."

Despite positive official statements, there is little tangible sign of how India and Pakistan intend to bridge their differences over Kashmir, which they both claim.

Tens of thousands of people have died in a 15-year rebellion in Indian Kashmir that New Delhi blames on Pakistani militants but which Islamabad says is a struggle against Indian rule in the Muslim-majority area.

In the latest violence, suspected Muslim insurgents killed a retired soldier and four members of his family, including his five-year-old son, on Tuesday.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said everyone it interviewed in a recent mission to Pakistan-controlled Kashmir called for a greater say for Kashmiris in the peace dialogue, an idea Pakistan supports but India opposes for the time being.

"We also found a convergence amongst all shades of Kashmiris that there should be an intra-Kashmir dialogue," HRCP's chairman Tahir Mohammad Khan told a news conference after the four-day mission, which concluded on Monday.

A total of around 14 million people live in the whole of Kashmir.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri said peace with India was key to unlocking the region's economic potential.

The Saarc countries, with a population of around 1.4 billion, form one of the world's poorest regions. Besides India and Pakistan, the group includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.