India on Wednesday declared readiness to discuss nuclear doctrines and military confidence-building measures with Pakistan as it emphasised that the two neighbours had an opportunity to remake their relationship fundamentally.

Delving on the contours of Indo-Pak relations and seeking to analyse the reasons that prevented development of ties, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said the two countries had a chance of breaking out of past patterns and that any issue can be dealt with through a flexible approach.

He made it clear that India had no designs or intentions to undo the partition and favoured a stable and prosperous Pakistan.

"If, however, despite the possession of nuclear weapons and India's no-first-use policy, there are feelings of insecurity in Pakistan, India is ready to discuss these issues in a dialogue on nuclear doctrines, military-to-military contacts and military confidence-building measures, both conventional and nuclear, either officially or through think tanks and other less official means," he said.

"A small beginning has been made in the last two years but we would be ready to build on this rapidly if Pakistan wishes to," the foreign secretary said in a lecture on 'India-Pakistan: Understanding the Conflict Dynamics'.

Advocating the need for the two countries having common vision for prosperity, he said, "Even the issues that divide us would be easier to solve if one had a common goal of purpose or vision of the sort of relationship that we wish to build in the future."

Menon said when it comes to Pakistan, it has been the Indian practice to attempt to outline a broader vision of the relationship.

In this regard, he cited the recent statements by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, particularly in Amritsar where he outlined his vision of a cooperative relationship between the two countries that would benefit both the countries and the region.

"I am not aware of a similar description of Pakistan's larger or longer-term vision for a relationship with India apart from (Pakistan founder Mohd Ali) Jinnah's wish that Pakistan should be to India as Canada is to the USA," the foreign secretary said.

"I believe that thanks to the peace process, we stand at a moment of opportunity to remake our relations fundamentally, breaking out of past patterns, and we need not repeat the past if we learn from it," Menon said. Referring to differences and issues between the two countries, including Jammu and Kashmir, he said these are being discussed by the two countries in a dialogue that is unprecedented in its depth and quality.

"It would certainly be useful if we had a shared vision of where we wish to be on that spectrum of choices," he said, adding that the real peace is more than an absence of violence.

The foreign secretary underscored that to be secure, peace must be based on shared interests and common prosperity.