New Delhi, March 10
The Government of India’s invitation to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has reached Pakistan’s Foreign Office. Almost simulatneously as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told both Houses of Parliament today that he had decided to invite General Musharraf to watch a cricket match in the ongoing India-Pakistan series.
Mr Munawwar Bhatti, Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan here, told The Tribune that the Indian invitation had reached the Pakistani Foreign Office in Islamabad today and a decision on this was expected in the next 24 hours.
Asked if General Musharraf’s son, daughter and mother were already in Mohali incognito to watch the first Test, as reported in some leading English dailies, Mr Bhatti said: “Such reports are absolutely baseless. Not a single family member of President Musharraf is in Mohali or anywhere else in India.”
In response to more questions on the subject, Mr Bhatti said: “Issues like whether he would visit Kolkata or Bangalore or whether he would visit New Delhi also to have a meal with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would arise only after President Musharraf decides to visit India to watch a cricket match.”
Earlier during the day, in an identical statement in both Houses of Parliament, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said: “I am very happy to inform the honourable members of the House that I have decided to invite President Musharraf to come to India and watch the cricket match between the two teams.”
The Prime Minister, while replying to a debate on the motion of thanks to the President for his address to a joint sitting of Parliament, said: “I do hope that President Musharraf and his family enjoy their visit to our country.”
He said it was his earnest desire that people and leaders of neighbouring countries should feel free to visit India whenever they wanted and expressed confidence that time would heal wounds and create an environment of shared prosperity and peace in the sub-continent. “Relations between nations are after all nothing more than relations between their peoples. I am sure time will work to heal our wounds and create an environment of shared prosperity and peace in the sub-continent in which we can all live and work for the greater good of our sub-continent,” the PM said.
Dr Manmohan Singh noted that there had been a sustained progress in the composite dialogue process after his meeting with General Musharraf on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly last September.
