Islamabad: Pakistan called on Monday for "sustained and meaningful" dialogue with India after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said a trust deficit was the main obstacle in ties between the nuclear-armed rivals.
Speaking at a news conference in New Delhi, Singh said India was willing to discuss all outstanding issues with Pakistan but "the trust gap is (the) biggest problem".
Pakistan said it agreed that mistrust should be dispelled.
"Obviously, there is a mutual trust deficit and we need to build trust between our two countries on solid foundations so that our two countries and our people can live in peace and prosperity," said Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit.
"To this end, Pakistan looks forward to a sustained and meaningful engagement with India with a view to free our relations from all disputes and conflicts."
Relations between the neighbours, who have fought three wars since 1947, went into a freeze after Pakistan-based terrorists attacked the Indian city of Mumbai in 2008, killing 166 people.
But Singh and Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani met on the sidelines of a regional conference last month and agreed to get talks going again to tackle their disputes.
For India, the main issue in its relations with Pakistan is security, with Islamist terrorists, who India says are backed by Pakistan, attacking Indian security forces in Kashmir and launching attacks in Indian cities.
Pakistan says the core dispute is over Muslim-majority Kashmir, which both countries claim in full but rule in part.
In an illustration of the underlying mistrust between them, Pakistani and Indian forces traded fire across their de facto border in Kashmir on Saturday, and then swapped accusations over who started it.
One Pakistani soldier was killed in the clash, the Pakistani army said.
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