On Monday India and Pakistan began their first formal peace talks since the 2008 Mumbai attacks that left 166 dead and for which New Delhi accused Islamabad.

The officials of the two interior ministries will confer to discuss counter-terrorism, terrorist attack in Mumbai and the drugs trade during the two days of talks that are part of a formal peace process re-starting between the estranged neighbours.

"Such efforts (as the talks) between the two sides would enhance peaceful relations and promote people-to-people contact," Pakistan's Chaudhary Qamar Zaman told reporters on Sunday as he made his way to the Indian capital, the AFP agency reported.

Progress in Monday's talks was anyway expected to be small, the Reuters reported adding that the focus has already turned to Wednesday's World Cup cricket semi-final between the two old rivals after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh invited Pakistani Prime Minister Yusaf Raza Gilani to the game.

Wednesday's match has been heralded as "cricket diplomacy", something of a tradition between the two countries that has at least helped ease tensions in the past.

The two ministers should prepare the groundwork for a ministerial meeting in July that would put issues like Kashmir, terrorism and trade on the negotiating table in what is known as the "composite dialogue".

The officials of the two interior ministries will confer to discuss counter-terrorism, terrorist attack in Mumbai and the drugs trade during the two days of talks that are part of a formal peace process re-starting between the estranged neighbours.

"Such efforts (as the talks) between the two sides would enhance peaceful relations and promote people-to-people contact," Pakistan's Chaudhary Qamar Zaman told reporters on Sunday as he made his way to the Indian capital, the AFP agency reported.

Progress in Monday's talks was anyway expected to be small, the Reuters reported adding that the focus has already turned to Wednesday's World Cup cricket semi-final between the two old rivals after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh invited Pakistani Prime Minister Yusaf Raza Gilani to the game.

Wednesday's match has been heralded as "cricket diplomacy", something of a tradition between the two countries that has at least helped ease tensions in the past.

The two ministers should prepare the groundwork for a ministerial meeting in July that would put issues like Kashmir, terrorism and trade on the negotiating table in what is known as the "composite dialogue".