Indian PM invites Gilani, Zardari for Mohali ICC Cricket World Cup 2011
The India-Pakistan clash in the World Cup semi-final on 30th March 2011, Wednesday might prove to be just the opportunity the two countries needed to reignite the spark in their flagging relationship. Or so Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seems to think. On Friday, the PM sent an invite to his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif
Ali Zardari to watch the mouth-watering match-up next week.
The PM said in his invite that he was looking forward to watching the match, which will come a day after home secretary-level dialogue between the two countries, in the company of Zardari and Gilani.
Islamabad hoped the Indo-Pak match would lead to resumption of bilateral cricketing ties and improvement in other relations. "I think it bodes well for cricketing ties between the two countries and that is what should lead to other things also," Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik said.
The move marks an attempt to turn the high-stakes cricket match into an effort to repair the relationship between the two countries. Talks between the two sides have made little progress since the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai, carried out by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba with the aid of state players.
PM sent the invites through the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi. "It gives me great pleasure to invite you to visit Mohali and join me and millions of fans from our two countries to watch the match," he said in his letter to Zardari. Manmohan Singh extended the invitation to Gilani's wife, adding his wife Gurusharan Kaur will be there too.
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