“There are eight segments of the composite dialogue and all of them will be discussed,” he told reporters on arriving here from Islamabad.

Mr Qureshi said Pakistan would propose dates for resumption of talks after the Indian budget session as agreed by the two countries in Bhutan last month.

India suspended the composite dialogue after the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008 and refused to revive it till Islamabad took action against Jamaatud Dawa and its leadership. Even the foreign secretary-level talks between the two countries in New Delhi earlier this year failed to break the impasse.

India agreed to restart the stalled process after a meeting between Prime Ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani and Dr Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the Saarc summit.

Answering a question, Mr Qureshi sought to allay New Delhi's fears that weapons being supplied to Pakistan by the United States to enhance its counter-terrorism capability would be used against India. “They (Indians) should not have any apprehensions. The military assistance we are getting from the US is meant for enhancing our capacity to counter terrorism and will not be used against India.”

BOMBING PLOT The foreign minister said Pakistan had decided to work with the US in investigations into the botched attack on Times Square. He said he was happy that the plot had failed. “Had it succeeded a number of innocent people would have lost their lives.”

He said Pakistan and the US had a “shared objective” in fighting terrorists and eliminating terrorism, adding that both the countries needed to share intelligence and extend cooperation.

Mr Qureshi said Pakistan had not received any formal request from the US so far to provide its investigators access to the family of Times Square bomb plot accused Faisal Shahzad.

“When we receive a request the department concerned will decide about it.”

(According to AFP news agency, Mr Qureshi said it was premature to draw any conclusions on investigations into the failed bombing plot. “It would be too early to say anything at the moment until the investigations are concluded. The media is just exaggerating. What is being published is all estimates and speculation,” he added.)

STRATEGIC DIALOGUE Mr Qureshi said the second meeting of the US-Pakistan strategic dialogue would take place in Islamabad. He said he was optimistic that Secretary of State Hilary Clinton would visit Pakistan for the meeting some time in near future.

The meeting will review decisions and agreements reached at the first meeting of the dialogue held in Washington recently.