Thimphu, Feb 8 (IANS) Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir Monday night called on Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and complimented him for guiding and taking the dialogue process forward.

"The Pakistan Foreign Secretary underlined the desire of Pakistan to have cordial and cooperative ties with India," external affairs ministry spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said here on the sidelines of the meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Council of Ministers.

He added that Bashir complimented Krishna for "guiding the process of bilateral engagement and taking the dialogue process further".

On Sunday night, Bashir and his Indian counterpart, Nirupama Rao had met to discuss bilateral issues and affirmed their commitment to take forward the dialogue process.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has not come for the Saarc meeting, he is likely to visit India in March or April.