“We hope the new government in India will return to dialogue sooner rather than later,” Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told a weekly news briefing.

Basit, who was responding to a question on Pakistan's expectations from the new Indian government with regard to the stalled composite dialogue process, said Islamabad wanted an “irreversible and result-oriented dialogue” as this was necessary for lasting peace in the region.

At the same time, he said the international community “must play its role in augmenting strategic stability in the region and refrain from discriminatory policies which undermine strategic stability in South Asia and aggravate imbalances”.

He added: “The way forward lies in conflict resolution and a peace process. We need to resolve the long-standing Jammu and Kashmir dispute. It is also important that our two countries adhere to the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960.” India suspended the composite dialogue process, which was launched in 2004, in the wake of last year's Mumbai terror attacks. New Delhi blamed the attacks on Pakistan-based elements, including the Lashker-e-Taiba, and linked the resumption of dialogue to Islamabad taking steps to bring the perpetrators of the terrorist assault to justice.

In reply to another question about President Asif Ali Zardari's remark that India did not pose a threat to Pakistan, Basit said Islamabad had always believed that disputes with New Delhi would have to be resolved for “viable peace” in the region.

Responding to another question on the safety of Pakistan's nuclear assets, Basit said Islamabad had maintained a policy of credible minimum deterrence and opposed a nuclear or conventional arms race in South Asia.

“At the same time, however, Pakistan cannot remain oblivious to increasing conventional asymmetries, unrelenting arms acquisitions as well as preferential treatment being accorded to certain countries in the region,” he said.

“Such developments disturb the strategic balance and Pakistan is constrained to adopt necessary safeguards as it deems fit.”

In this regard, Basit said, the “nuclear threshold should not be lowered” by widening the conventional asymmetry between India and Pakistan. He claimed the conventional balance had been affected by the supply of sophisticated weapons to India and this had lowered the nuclear threshold.

The spokesman dismissed media reports questioning the safety of Pakistan's nuclear assets and reiterated the “country's resolve to maintain the security and integrity of our nuclear deterrence, especially in light of the changing regional environments”.

Replying to another question about the turnout in the election in Jammu and Kashmir and the defeat of separatist leaders who contested the polls, Basit said the election could not be a substitute for the “right of self-determination promised to the Kashmiri people decades ago”.