India, Pakistan to hold talks in Dhaka

The talks are likely to be followed by a meeting between the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers.

Senior Indian and Pakistani officials will meet next week in Dhaka in a first encounter since New Delhi called off peace talks following deadly train blasts in Mumbai, an official said on Tuesday.

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Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran will hold talks his Pakistani counterpart, Riaz Mohammad Khan, on the sidelines of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) talks, said the foreign ministry official.

"They will meet on the sidelines," the official said, asking not to be named.

The talks are likely to be followed by a meeting between the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers, also in Dhaka, he added.

SAARC foreign ministers are slated to meet August 2, according to the Bangladesh foreign ministry. The foreign secretaries are to hold talks the previous day.

New Delhi put off formal foreign secretary talks, due to be held in the Indian capital on July 20 as part of a long-running peace process, after accusing "elements across the border" of involvement in the July 11 bombings in Mumbai that killed 183 people.

Pakistan denies involvement in the explosions and says India should supply proof of its allegation. It has offered to help in the blasts probe.