New Delhi, Aug. 21 :    New Delhi, Aug. 21:  Taking advantage of the global community?s growing criticism of the Indian draft nuclear doctrine, Pakistan today tried to revive its old plank of a nuclear weapons-free South Asia. Islamabad dropped hints about its willingness to cap its nuclear programme and ultimately dismantle it, provided Delhi followed the example. Agency reports from Islamabad quoted Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Tariq Altaf as saying that his country was willing to hold talks with India on the nuclear issue but said it should be ?serious, fruitful and result-oriented?. He was also quoted as saying that the talks should revolve around both neighbours? resolve not to use nuclear weapons. Pakistan has been pushing this line since 1982 and trying to build world opinion by moving resolutions at the UN General Assembly. But it stopped pushing this line since last year after it conducted nuclear tests. However, with the US taking the lead in criticising India, Pakistan has decided to try and wrest the diplomatic initiative it had lost during the Kargil conflict. Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee said in Kerala that the doctrine had neither affected India?s recently-improved ties with the US, nor should it deter Pakistan from signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). ?There is no setback in our relations with the US. After Pokhran II, India has become a nuclear weapons state. We had to define our nuclear doctrine,? Vajpayee said. He said a final decision on the doctrine and signing the CTBT will be taken by the government which comes to power after the polls. Reports from Islamabad said Sharif met Pakistani army chief and chairman of joint chiefs of staff committee General Pervez Musharraf yesterday to discuss the draft Indian doctrine and give final touches to a National Command Authority for discussing the use of nuclear weapons. Delhi sees these developments as an attempt by Islamabad to bring back the focus of the international community to South Asia. Pakistan is trying to raise the bogey of a nuclear flashpoint in South Asia as well as emerge as the more reasonable of the two sides by offering to discuss ways of making the region free of nuclear weapons. The dialogue being offered by Pakistan has already been suggested by India and has become part of the peace and security issue ? among the eight factors the two sides are discussing ? and also part of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two foreign secretaries in Lahore in February this year. In doing this, Pakistan has avoided a response on India?s offer to enter into a no-first-use treaty with Islamabad.