India and Pakistan have agreed to resume comprehensive dialogue suspended since the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, according to a press release by India's External Affairs Ministry on Thursday.
But the two countries only agreed to "resume dialogue on all issues" following a meeting of their foreign secretaries in Bhutan on Sunday, the press release said, stopping short of terming it composite dialogue.
The composite dialogue was suspended by India after 10 militants from Pakistan launched a bloody assault on India's financial capital Mumbai on Nov. 26 to 29, 2008, killing at least 170 people.
The agreement to resume such talks was reached by India's foreign secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir in Thimphu, capital of Bhutan where they met last week.
The talks will cover all issues including terrorism, peace and security in South Asia and Kashmir issue, according to local analysts, adding this could indicate an end to the impasse in bilateral relations.
The press release on the "Agreed Outcome" issued Thursday by the external affairs ministry listed four decisions taken at Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao's meeting with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir in Thimphu Sunday night.
The first decision is that both sides "have agreed to resume dialogue on all issues following the spirit of the Thimphu meeting between the two prime ministers".
Pakistan Foreign Ministry also said Thursday the two countries will resume talks on all issues and Pakistani Foreign Minister S.M. Qureshi will visit India in July this year.
India and Pakistan resumed dialogue at foreign secretarial level in February 2010.
Local TV reports quoted diplomatic sources as saying the defense ministers, home ministers and other key officials will resume talks once the comprehensive talks are resumed.