New York/New Delhi:
The Prime Minister and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif met today for a little over an hour in New York and agreed that reducing violence and tension along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir will be a priority for both countries.
Both prime ministers accepted invites to visit each other's countries but no date has been set as yet.
Senior military officers - the Directors General of Military Operations or DGMOs - will be asked to "find effective means to restore the ceasefire" that was declared in 2003, Indian national security adviser Shivshankar Menon told reporters after the talks, which were held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
"Both agreed that the precondition for forward movement in the relationship, which they both desire, is really an improvement of the situation on the LoC," he said.
The talks come after militants raided an Indian army base in Samba, 26 km from Jammu, on Thursday, killing 10 people.
Dr Manmohan Singh had been urged by the main opposition party, the BJP, to not meet the Pakistani prime minister in the wake of recent deadly attacks in Kashmir.
Mr Menon said the talks were friendly, but added: "As for how useful and productive the meeting was, I think the only proof will be in the months to come."
He said that the Pakistani prime minister also promised "there would be action" on punishing those responsible for 26/11 attack in Mumbai, which killed 166 people.
Tension between the countries has escalated sharply in recent months. In January, two Indian soldiers were killed - one of them was beheaded - by Pakistanis who crossed the Line of Control. In August, five Indian soldiers were killed in a daring ambush which involved Pakistani specialist troops, New Delhi has alleged.