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Indian PM has no plans to visit Pakistan for cricket
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-01-09 09:48
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has no plans to visit Pakistan to attend
any match during a forthcoming cricket series, his spokesman said on Sunday, a
day after Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf issued an impromptu invitation.
Speculation that the two leaders would seize the opportunity for a fresh
round of "cricket diplomacy" to give a two-year old peace process more momentum
was sparked by Musharraf's comments in an interview aired on Saturday by Indian
TV channel CNN-IBN.
"The Prime Minister has no plans to go to Pakistan for any cricket match,"
Sanjaya Baru, spokesman for Singh, told Reuters.
Singh has a longstanding invitation to visit Pakistan, but while the Indian
prime minister has responded positively he has never committed to any date.
Cricket has often played a big role in improving diplomatic relations between
the two neighbours.
Last year, Musharraf visited Delhi to watch a one-day international between
the two teams.
In 2004, the Indian team's first visit to Pakistan in 14 years gave the peace
process a boost as ordinary Pakistanis warmly welcomed visiting Indian fans,
giving the two governments confidence to agree on steps for more people to
people contact.
In 1987 Pakistan's late President Zia-ul-Haq had also flown to India in the
midst of a cricket series to watch a match during a period of tense relations
between both countries.
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