ISLAMABAD, Nov 16: Islamabad has formally proposed Dec 21 and 22 as the dates for foreign secretary level talks to New Delhi and is awaiting a response for the second round of the composite dialogue meetings scheduled to be held next month, officials sources told Dawn.

"Pakistan has proposed Dec 21 and 22 for the foreign secretary level talks to India," foreign office spokesman Masood Khan, told Dawn.

When asked if India had agreed to the dates given by Pakistan, Mr Khan said the response from Delhi was still awaited.

Mr Khan said the foreign secretaries talks would primarily focus on three broad issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, peace and security and the calendar of meetings for six other subjects under the composite dialogue process.

According to the joint statement issued by foreign ministers of India and Pakistan in September, the two foreign secretaries would work out the schedule of meetings on the other six subjects, including Siachen, Wullar Barrage/Tulbul Navigation Project, Sir Creek, terrorism and drug trafficking, economic and commercial cooperation, and promotion of friendly exchanges in various fields.

Asked if Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz would formally discuss the proposals floated by President Gen Musharraf for resolution of Kashmir dispute with Indian leadership during his visit to New Delhi next week, Mr Khan said: "This (next week's visit) would be his first visit. He would touch base with the Indian leadership."

Official sources said: "No subject could be excluded" from the talks, including the proposals floated by President Musharraf, when Prime Minister Aziz meets his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh.

India has already conveyed to Pakistan through media diplomacy that it would formally consider the proposals given by President Musharraf if they were conveyed through diplomatic channels.

President Musharraf had suggested at an Iftar dinner with media representatives that India and Pakistan consider the option of identifying some regions of Kashmir on both sides of the Line of Control, demilitarize them and then determine their status like granting them independent status or put them under joint control or under UN mandate.

In an interview to a foreign broadcasting radio channel, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said that Mr Aziz would take up the proposals floated by President Musharraf in his talks with Indian leadership.

In reply to a question, the foreign office spokesman, Masood Khan, confirmed that Islamabad had extended an invitation to the Indian External Affairs Minister, Mr Natwar Singh, to visit Pakistan. However, India is yet to respond to the invitation.

Though both India and Pakistan have denied any external influence on the peace initiative, the diplomatic roadmap outlined by the US mentions involvement of Kashmiri leaders from both sides of the Line of Control in Kashmir dialogue, a development which has already started taking place as evidenced by recent statements of the foreign office.

Diplomatic sources said it was yet to be seen if ice would be broken over the involvement of Kashmiri leadership in the dialogue process during the three rounds of talks between Pakistani and Indian leadership scheduled to take place from now till Dec 22, including meetings at the level of the prime ministers, the foreign ministers and the foreign secretaries of the two countries.