Will propose joint mechanism to monitor LoC: Nawaz Sharif

As India and Pakistan are set to hold talks Sunday, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he will propose a joint mechanism to monitor "tension" along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

Sharif also condemned the twin terror attacks in Jammu in which 10 people, including an army officer, were killed Thursday.

"We will propose the setting up of a joint mechanism to monitor tensions along the LoC. We are open to an independent investigation, even one by the UN. If this is not acceptable to India, we can also look at calling a separate meeting of the two foreign secretaries and the DGMOs (Directors General of Military Operations)," Sharif said in an interview to NDTV.

He praised Manmohan Singh, saying he was "good man".

"I will only say I am meeting Manmohan Singh for the first time and I want to repair the threads broken in 1999," he said when asked what was his mood ahead of his meeting with the Indian prime minister in New York.

"Manmohan Singh is a good man and I am looking forward to my first meeting with him," he said.

"I will renew my invite to him. His visit is long overdue and I hope he will come and see his native village," the Pakistani prime minister said.

Calling for an end to the nuclear arms race in South Asia, he said, "It's time for us to stop blaming each other. And why keep on wasting money on buying F16s in a competitive arms race instead of spending on development?"

On the Jammu attack, Sharif said he condemns it in "strongest words".

"This is a very sad incident and we should work hard to avoid such incidents from repeating," he added.