PAKISTAN:Pakistan's foreign minister, Khurshid Ahmed Kasuri, yesterday visited survivors of Monday's terrorist bomb attack on a train travelling from India to Pakistan.
Mr Kasuri, who was in New Delhi for talks, said the attack, in which at least 68 people died, would not undermine peace efforts. Mr Kasuri said he planned "to carry the peace process forward".
"The governments of India and Pakistan should not allow the perpetrators of this incident to achieve their objectives," he said.
The twice-weekly cross-border train service - one of only two rail links between India and Pakistan - was restarted in 2004 after two years as part of the peace process.
During the remainder of his four-day visit, Mr Kasuri is expected to sign a nuclear risk reduction agreement, discuss steps to curb terrorism and revive the bilateral peace negotiations that suffered a temporary setback following last July's serial bombing of the rail network in India's financial capital, Mumbai, in which 186 people died.
India blamed Pakistan-backed Islamists for these bombings - a claim Islamabad denied - and called off peace negotiations that were revived later in the year.
Both countries have reacted with rare caution and circumspection over Sunday night's bombing of the Friendship Express 80km north of Delhi, an attack that was aimed at derailing the nascent peace process.
A majority of the 68 dead were Pakistanis visiting relatives, divided 60 years ago by the British colonial administration which created India and Pakistan.
Mr Kasuri said the train bombing was not a "coincidence" and said his country was determined to thwart the bombers' designs.
"The governments of India and Pakistan should not allow the perpetrators of this incident to derail the peace talks," Mr Kasuri said, adding that the two sides should "hasten the negotiation process".
India's reaction was similarly steadfast. Unlike in the past, the prime minister Manmohan Singh desisted from blaming Pakistan, vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice and to continue with the peace talks.
Three rounds of extensive negotiations between India and Pakistan after the peace process began in 2004 have been confined to eight issues, including Jammu and Kashmir - divided between the two sides but claimed by both - cross-border terrorism, narcotics smuggling and nuclear and military issues.
Meanwhile, police yesterday issued images of two men they believe alighted from the Friendship Express moments before two bombs exploded inside it.
The two, whose identities are not known, boarded the train when it left New Delhi on Sunday evening and soon began arguing with the conductor, saying they were on the wrong train.
They were allowed to jump off when the train slowed about 15-20 minutes before the crude bombs detonated near the industrial town of Panipat, the inspector general of police, Sharad Kumar, said.