New Delhi, November 5
Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga today said the Indo-Pak endeavour to resolve their differences was “most encouraging” to all countries in the region while Mr Imran Khan, the former top Pakistani cricket all-rounder, today batted and bowled for his President General Pervez Musharraf.

Ms Kumaratunga asked South Asian nations to look at possible arrangements for strengthening regional security cooperation, saying this was a necessity though most difficult in view of prevailing tensions in the region.

She outlined a six-point action plan for South Asian unity in her address at the Hindustan Times Leadership Initiative conference here and said the target of making SAFTA operational by 2006, should be adhered to along with other measures for trade and economic cooperation.

Mr Imran Khan supported General Musharraf’s recent proposal of de-militarisation of the entire Jammu and Kashmir and said both India and Pakistan should first order withdrawal of troops from both sides of Jammu and Kashmir and then hold free and fair elections there.

He said General Musharraf’s initiative was nothing new. “The proposal was even tabled in 1962, during the talks between then Indian and Pakistani leadership — Swaran Singh and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.”

Asked whether Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf lacked credibility, he said “let us wait till the next elections.”

Mr Khan said he would soon visit Kashmir as India had agreed to grant him permission to tour the valley.