Pakistan will proceed according to its own laws in taking action against persons arrested in connection with last year's Mumbai terrorist attacks, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Friday.

He made the comment while responding to a request from his Indian counterpart S M Krishna for Pakistan to expedite action against the accused in the Mumbai attacks. Qureshi "assured that Pakistan would proceed in accordance with its law", said a statement issued by the Foreign Office.

Krishna and Qureshi met in Trieste on the sidelines of G-8 outreach meeting on Afghanistan. Describing the meeting between the two ministers as "cordial", the statement said Qureshi "expressed the need for constructive engagement and sustained dialogue to address common challenges and to resolve outstanding issues, irritants and disputes".

Qureshi included the "problems of water, menace of regional and global terrorism and the unresolved dispute of Jammu and Kashmir" among the outstanding issues and irritants.

He said the "process of dialogue between the leadership of the two countries will continue with the meeting between the Prime Ministers in Sharm el-Sheikh" on the sidelines of the upcoming Non-Aligned Movement summit.