India and Pakistan propose to start the rail link between Khokhrapar (Sindh) and Munnabao (Rajasthan) from October 2, 2005, External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh announced on Thursday.

At a press conference outlining the government's foreign policy initiatives during its six months in office, Singh said visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had favoured exploring more bus links in addition to the proposed Srinagar-Muzaffarabad service.

"We are engaged in a sustained and comprehensive dialogue process from which we will not be deflected by transient developments and often contradictory pronouncements," he said.

Singh touched on growing relations with the US, and sustained engagements with Russia, China and the European Union.

He said Railway Minister Lalu Prasad had a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Mian Shamim Haider and told him that the Indian side was fully prepared to start the rail link.

The broad gauge line at the Indian end had been rectified and the railway station was also repaired, the Pakistani minister was told.

Singh said some work needed to be done at the Pakistan end since they had meter gauge.

The route was frozen in 1965 following the Indo-Pak war. The proposal to restore it is part of the ongoing confidence-building measures.