NEW DELHI, March 27: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani today accepted his Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh’s invitation to join him in Mohali on Wednesday (March 30) to watch the Cricket World Cup semi-final between their teams.
Pakistan High Commissioner to India Shahid Malik confirmed to The Island here today that Prime Minister Gilani will be visiting India in response to Dr Singh’s invitation.
Read moreThe decision was taken after a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Gilani in Islamabad after the prime minister’s return from Tashkent. The meeting began at midnight on Saturday night and lasted for about two hours.
Zardari’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar said in Islamabad that the Pakistan Government has accepted Dr Singh’s invitation, and that Gilani will visit India to witness the high-voltage match in Mohali near Chandigarh in the Indian Punjab.
The News, a Pakistani daily, quoted its sources as saying that Gilani will informally meet Dr Singh during the match, and will hold a formal meeting with him after the game.
The Nation, another Pakistani newspaper, reported that Gilani will pay a two-day visit to India for a fresh round of "cricket diplomacy."
Gilani’s decision to accept Dr Singh’s invitation has been conveyed to New Delhi through diplomatic channels, it added.
