ISLAMABAD, July 17: Pakistani officials said on Wednesday they expected upcoming visits by foreign envoys to South Asia to set in motion a dialogue with India.

The top diplomats from Britain, the United States, France and the European Union are all headed to the region, as tensions rise again over alleged militant incursions into occupied Kashmir.

“We expect the upcoming visits by British, American, French and European diplomats will help bring about a dialogue process between the two countries to resolve the core issue of Kashmir,” a foreign ministry official told AFP.

He said British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw would visit Islamabad on Saturday, after swinging through New Delhi on Friday on his third visit to South Asia this year.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell will also make a return trip to the region the following weekend, arriving in Islamabad on July 28.