India has offered to resume bilateral talks with Pakistan for the first time since the 2008 attacks on the city of Mumbai that New Delhi blames on armed fighters based on Pakistani soil.

A senior Indian official said on Thursday that the Indian foreign secretary had invited her Pakistani
counterpart to New Delhi.

"The meeting may take place later this month," the official said.

"Counterterrorism will be raised, as well as other issues that will contribute to creating an atmosphere of peace and stability between the two countries."

Pakistan welcomed the offer, but said it sought clarification on the contents of the proposed talks before giving a formal answer.

"There are now signals emanating from India that they are willing to talk bilaterally," Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the Pakistani foreign minister, told the Reuters news agency.

"We welcome this ... if it leads to resumption of the composite dialogue."

India halted peace talks between the two countries after co-ordinated attacks at several Mumbai locations in November 2008 left 166 people dead.

India says the attacks were carried out by the Pakistan-based armed group Lashkar-e-Taiba and has demanded Islamabad bring the culprits to justice before talks can resume.

India and Pakistan launched talks in 2004 to resolve several disputes between the two countries, including the dispute over the region of Kashmir.

Pakistan has been pushing for the resumption of the talks but until now, Indian and Pakistani officials have met only on the sidelines of multilateral meetings.