ISLAMABAD, Oct 1: US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca met President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday and called for dialogue with India over the disputed Kashmir region.

No further details of the talks between the two were immediately available.

Earlier, she held talks with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Inamul Haq and Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar for almost an hour.

“The Pakistan side called for de-escalation and for India to reciprocate the significant measures taken by Pakistan to defuse tensions,” a foreign ministry statement issued after the meetings, said.

“Both sides agreed on the need for early resumption of dialogue between Pakistan and India.”

Rocca reaffirmed US commitment to “remain engaged” with the South Asian foes. She “highly commended” Pakistan’s commitment to the war on terrorism, the statement said.

“She also reiterated the Bush administration’s commitment towards an enhanced and enduring relationship between Pakistan and the United States.”

Rocca earlier spent two days meeting officials in Karachi, where she discussed security arrangements for US diplomats.

She discussed ways of creating “foolproof security” for the US consulate.

Rocca proposed closing the road in front of the vacated consulate office and building a tunnel underneath for routine traffic. US authorities have offered to bear all costs for the project, a Sindh government official said. —AFP