Singh met General Musharraf at his official Army House residence in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, for almost one hour and a half, at the end of a visit to attend a regional foreign ministers' forum.

Musharraf "emphasised the need for simultaneous progress" on all issues, especially the dispute over who should rule divided Kashmir -- which lies at the heart of decades of mutual mistrust and hostility between the South Asian neighbours who went public as nuclear powers in 1998.

"It is important to address this (Kashmir) issue with sincerity with a view to reaching a final settlement that accorded fully with the legitimate aspirations of the Kashmiris within a reasonable timeframe," Musharraf said, according to a foreign ministry statement.

Singh said both men stressed the importance of continuing the dialogue "in an atmosphere free of violence and to tackling the scourge of terrorism with renewed vigour".

India has accused Pakistan of sponsoring rebels to attack Indian forces in its portion of Kashmir in an insurgency which has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 1989. Pakistan denies it.

Kashmir, divided between India and Pakistan and claimed in full by both since independence in 1947, caused two of their three wars and nearly triggered a fourth in 2002 after India blamed an attack on its parliament on Pakistan-based Islamic militants fighting Indian rule in Kashmir.

After Friday's talks both sides declared their commitment to pursuing peace and dialogue.

Musharraf reiterated Pakistan's "commitment to making the composite dialogue process a success," while Singh declared a "renewed determination to work with Pakistan bilaterally to normalise our relations and resolve our differences".

Singh, who took up his post in May after the surprise election victory of India's Congress party, was in Islamabad for a regional summit of foreign ministers Tuesday and Wednesday. He met his counterpart Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri and Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat earlier in the week.

Singh's meeting with Musharraf came after a series of low-level bilateral talks following a January agreement between Musharraf and former Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to resume dialogue for the first time since near war in 2002.

Singh described the attitude of Pakistani leaders "constructive and positive" in a statement issued before he departed for New Delhi.

"No aspect of our relationship, including Jammu and Kashmir, was left out of our warm, frank and realistic discussions."

Relations began to thaw in April last year after Vajpayee's offer of dialogue and both countries embarked on reciprocal confidence-building measures.

Over the past year the two sides have reinstated high commissioners (ambassadors) to each other's capitals, revived transport links, and resumed cricket tours.

Singh and Kasuri Wednesday discussed reopening consulates in commercial capitals Bombay and Karachi, returning high commissions (embassies) to normal staffing levels, and a proposed bus service between their respective zones of Kashmir.

Talks on water-sharing, terrorism, trade, border demarcation disputes in southern marshlands and the Siachen glacier in Kashmir's far north, the world's highest battleground, are scheduled from July 28.

Analysts said this week's talks between Singh and Pakistani leaders were exploratory only.

"Basically this is a preliminary session and it is too early to expect a breakthrough in this round," former Pakistani diplomat Kamal Matinuddin told

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