Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar conveyed the instructions to Aziz Ahmad Khan on Wednesday, The News reported quoting well-placed sources.

Aziz was called to Islamabad for consultations prior to the start of the summit.

It may be recalled that in the joint press statement (issued after the Saarc meet), both the countries had resolved to carry forward the peace process and hold a composite dialogue, which is slated to begin sometime in February.

The High Commissioner is understood to have been assigned the task of setting up the stage, in consultation with the Indian leadership, for starting the all-important composite dialogue.

According to the paper, diplomatic experts are attaching great significance to the word 'process' used in the joint statement, which calls for the commencement of process of the composite dialogue "but not the dialogue". It does not mean that dialogue will essentially start in February, the report said quoting the experts.

Prime Minister Vajpayee's contention, in the joint statement, that in order to take forward and sustain the dialogue process, violence, hostility and terrorism must be prevented, is given a special significance. "From this, one can infer that initiation of dialogue has been made conditional," the experts opined.