Pakistani cricket champion turned politician Imran Khan called Sunday for a "neutral umpire" like Nelson Mandela to resolve disputes between India and Pakistan.

Speaking to a conference in the Indian capital, the Pakistani MP said it was "important for the leaders to begin talks" between the South Asian rivals.

"If the mistrust between the two is too much, then let us agree on bringing in neutral umpires like Nelson Mandela to mediate," said Imran, quoted by the Press Trust of India news agency.

"I wish the UN could have come to the rescue of the people of the two countries and successfully waded them away from the air of mistrust prevailing for quite sometime," Imran said.

India and Pakistan have been at loggerheads, often violently so,

over the Himalayan territory of Kashmir for a half-century.

India rejects any third-party mediation in the dispute, as it considers Kashmir part of the Indian union.

Imran said earlier on his visit here that South Asia's most popular pastime could help ease tensions between India and Pakistan.

"Cricket can help make all the difference in breaking the ice," Imran told The Times of India in an interview.

"Cricket between India and Pakistan would definitely be a step towards normalisation of ties. After all, this state of tension cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely."

The former all-rounder, who led Pakistan to an epic triumph in the 1992 World Cup in Australia, felt hardliners on both sides of the border were benefitting from the tension.

India's World Cup match against Pakistan at Centurion in South Africa on Saturday was the first between the neighbours in almost three years as India has maintained a boycott of cricket with Pakistan.

Passions run high during any cricket match between the two countries, which now have the bare minimum of diplomatic relations. India accuses Pakistan of fomenting the Islamic insurgency in Kashmir, which Islamabad denies.

Imran said he had always enjoyed playing against India.

"Tension is at its peak when India and Pakistan play each other and the kind of interest shown by the crowds further heightens this tension. If I did not perform well against India, I would not receive proper acknowledgement."