NEW DELHI, Sept 27 Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that incremental talks with India are better than no talks, and listed Kashmir and water disputes as issues that could not be wished away in any case.

“We have many outstanding issues,” he told NDTV ahead of his meeting with Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna in New York. “Kashmir, water ... cannot be shoved under the carpet. But we want to move in a pragmatic and realistic manner. I feel incremental progress is better than no progress.”

When asked if naming top diplomat Riaz Khan as special envoy for informal peace talks with India suggested one way to do that, he said he would discuss the matter with Mr. Krishna. “I will find out his views on the back channel. I have my views on the back channel. I want to hear his views.”

Mr Qureshi's comments followed remarks by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in which he urged Pakistan to give up using terror as an instrument of state policy.

“India's message is that we seek to normalise its relations with Pakistan,”

Dr Singh said on his way back from the G20 summit in Pittsburgh. “The only obstacle is that Pakistan should give up its old attitude regarding the use of terror as an instrument of state policy. And we hope that with the material that we have supplied to Pakistan regarding the massacre that took place in Mumbai in November, they would carry out investigations. Although the tragedy took place in India the conspiracy was hatched in Pakistan and that has been admitted by the Pakistan government.”

Mr Qureshi said he was carrying some positive suggestions on Mumbai. “I have suggestions on how we should engage in the future vis-a-vis terrorism... Terrorism is important to you. It is equally important to us. We are victims. You have had one tragic incident. We have these tragic incidents on a daily basis. How do we engage? How do we deal with this menace? By accusing each other or by engaging with each other? I think the sensible way forward is by engaging and cooperating with each other,” he said.

“I think India is stuck in a groove. Pakistan has moved on. Pakistan is looking at this issue as a common issue. We feel that we have a common enemy and we need to collectively deal with this menace called terrorism.

“I feel there is room to move forward. I am here to act on the decision taken by the two prime ministers at Sharm El Sheikh that the foreign ministers will meet to carry the dialogue forward, because according to Dr Manmohan Singh that is the only way forward.”