Noting that a "positive beginning" had been made with India, Pakistan on Friday expressed the hope that the two countries would "successfully resolve" the "once considered intractable" issues.

Addressing the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia in Almaty, Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtyar said "symptomatic remedies" to tackle "new threats", including terrorism, might remain "cosmetic" till "inequalities and injustice" precipitating these were addressed.

"Two years ago, South Asia was in the grip of heightened tension. The security environment has visibly improved in the recent months with the initiation of a composite dialogue between Pakistan and India," he said at the CICA ministerial meeting.

He noted that peace and security was an important item on the agenda of the composite dialogue.

Referring to the recent meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pervez Musharraf in New York, Bakhtyar said it was "very constructive and augurs well for the peace process between the two countries".