2nd LD Writethru: Visiting Indian PM starts meeting with Pakistani counterpart

The visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi started talks with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on Friday shortly after he arrived in Lahore on an unscheduled visit, officials said.

Both leaders took a helicopter to proceed to the residence of Sharif near Lahore, the capital of Punjab province after the brief official reception at the Allama Iqbal International Airport. Modi did not talk to the media at the airport.

Diplomatic sources said that the Indian prime minister is accompanied by a 120-member delegation which was with him during his visit to Afghanistan earlier in the morning.

Pakistani sources said that both prime ministers are scheduled to have a half-an-hour meeting to discuss important issues of the relationship.

The meeting is important as both countries are scheduled to resume an official dialogue next month after a break of nearly eight years. The "Composite Dialogue" will restart after the 2008 Mumbai attacks that were blamed on "Lashkar-e-Taiba" group.

Officials said that several cabinet ministers from both countries are taking part in the talks.

Modi made a surprise announcement earlier to visit Pakistan for a meeting with Sharif on his way back to New Delhi from Kabul.

The Indian prime minister's visit was widely welcomed in Pakistan and all TV channels are holding special debates on the development.

Former Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri said Pakistan and India have no other option but to resolve problems through dialogue.

"I welcome the Indian Prime Minister to Pakistan as I have advocated that Pakistan and India must solve their disputes through talks," Kasuri said. He also called for an end to rhetoric as this posture does not work. Endit