Indian External Affairs Secretary Shyam Sharan said on Monday peace process between India and Pakistan could only proceed in an atmosphere free from violence and terrorism.

Sharan, who is to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Standing Committee meeting, will meet his Pakistani counterpart Riaz Mohammad Khan here Monday night.

"I am very much looking forward to having an exchange of views with Pakistan counterpart soon on all bilateral issues," he told a crowded media conference here after SAARC Standing Committee meeting.

The India-Pakistan foreign secretary level meeting scheduled in New Delhi on July 21 was postponed following the bloody bomb blasts in Mumbai on July 11.

Sharan said India has all along stated that the peace process could move forward without violence and terrorism.

Sharan said India would try to engage Pakistan in discussion on this issue and other matters.

Source: Xinhua