PHUKET, July 22 The confession of the lone surviving gunman in the Mumbai attacks would not set back the peace process between Pakistan and India, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Wednesday.

“Certainly that was a hiccup,” said Mr Qureshi of the Mumbai attacks. “We are overcoming that because both sides believe this is a common challenge.

“The only way forward is engagement with each other. So I think we will be back on track soon.”

The minister told The Associated Press that Islamabad was waiting for copies of the gunman's confessions from the Indian court but said the issue would not impede the dialogue effort.

Mr Qureshi spoke on the sidelines of the annual Asean Regional Forum, a gathering of ministers and senior officials from Asia, Europe, the United States and Russia.

Washington is represented by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who arrived in Thailand after high-level talks in India, during which the two nations agreed to expand US defence and civilian nuclear sales.

Mr Qureshi said Pakistan was not concerned about closer ties between Washington and Delhi. “We have a very independent relationship with the United States.

“If India gets closer to the United States it will not affect us because we have been allies for 60 years. India is shifting its policy. Pakistan has been consistent,” he said.

He praised the new US administration's policy on regionalising the fight against terrorism and its recognition that this fight had more dimensions than merely a military one.

Mr Qureshi said the recent operation against militants in the Swat Valley was a major success because it had behind it a national consensus to fight terrorism and political-military cooperation that had not earlier existed.

He said between 1,500 and 1,700 militants were killed and their second- and third-tier leadership was wiped out in the valley.

“Obviously there are some big names (left) and we are trying to reach them. I hope we will be successful,” he said of the efforts to track down top Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders.

Mr Qureshi said he hoped the Phuket conference would recognise Pakistan's sacrifice in fighting the militants and provide greater help in aiding internal refugees spawned by the recent fighting. The UN says about two million people have been displaced by the Swat fighting.

“We are not just fighting for ourselves. We fight for the democratic world. We are fighting for people who subscribe to our values,” Mr Qureshi said.—AP