Pakistan-India-Iran gas
Senior Pakistani and Indian diplomats Tuesday discussed gas pipeline from Iran and said they need energy for economies, the Indian Foreign Secretary said.

Shivshankar Menon held talks with Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir in Islamabad and discussed the multi-billion
Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project.

"We talked about the gas pipeline. We talked about how to get natural gas for and our economies," Menon said.

He said both sides discussed how it necessary for the project to be implemented to ensure supply and security.

Foreign Ministers of the two countries will meet on Wednesday to assess progress in the on-going composite dialogue process.

Menon said there is will and determination on both sides to improve relations between Pakistan and India as rapidly as possible.

He said both sides put proposals for more taking more Confidence Building Measures on the Line of Control (LoC), which divides both countries in the disputed Kashmir region. He added that both sides agreed to continue ceasefire along the LoC.

To a question, the Indian diplomat said there has been considerable progress on the issue of Siachen, the world's tallest battle field and to determine water boundaries over the past three years.

"There is popular support for the ongoing dialogue process." He said the Foreign Minister of Pakistan and India will hold review talks on the fourth round of composite dialogue.

The Indian Foreign Minister is also likely to call on with President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minster Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani.

Indian FM meetings with political leaders: Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukharjee on the first day of his visit met political leaders of the ruling party to assess their policies about India.

He met PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and President Awami National Party Asfandayar Wali Khan in Islamabad.

The Indian Foreign Secretary said all the leaders had a strong backing for the peace process between the two countries.