ISLAMABAD, March 1: President General Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday ordered the release of 31 Indian Sikhs detained for illegal entry and recommended that captive Indian fishermen be freed, the foreign ministry said.

The president made the goodwill gesture during a meeting with senior leaders of two Indian Communist parties, foreign ministry spokesman Jalil Abbas Jillani said. Gen Musharraf expressed the hope that Pakistan and India would address the substantive issues, particularly the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, with the same spirit as shown by them on reaching accord on the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus service.

He informed the visitors that Pakistan was willing to discuss the Baglihar dam issue with India bilaterally, provided the Indian government stopped construction work on the project.

He stressed that the two sides should avoid to add new irritants to their relations. India's NDTV news channel reported that Gen Musharraf had ordered the release of 200 Indian civilians held in Pakistani prisons, but the spokesman said he did not know the exact number.

Mr Jillani said the president had ordered the release of 31 young Sikhs who had crossed into Pakistan from Iran. He said 266 Indian fishermen had been released last month, and that authorities were awaiting confirmation from the Indian High Commission that other detained fishermen were indeed Indian nationals before freeing them.

"The president said Pakistan and India should not unnecessarily detain each other's fishermen," the spokesman said after the president met the delegation led by Harkishan Singh Surjeet, general secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, and A. B. Bardhan, general secretary of the Communist Party of India.

"From our side the president's decision is being implemented," he said. Gen Musharraf appreciated the role of the two leaders in promoting the cause of peace and amity in the region. He also appreciated the support and cooperation of the Left Front to the composite dialogue process.

The two Indian leaders currently are on a visit to Pakistan from Feb 24 to March 4. Pakistan and India frequently arrest fishermen who trespass in each other's waters despite a thaw in relations.

In the latest episode last weekend, Pakistan caught 101 Indian fishermen and impounded 16 boats. The fishermen were arrested about 70 to 120km inside Pakistani waters, according to the Maritime Security Agency.

At least 663 Indian fishermen remain in Pakistani custody after being detained over the past year and a half, while more than 140 Pakistani fishermen are being held in detention by India, officials said. -Agencies