Gilani to visit India in 'cricket diplomacy'

ISLAMABAD: In a victory for "cricket diplomacy", Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has accepted an invitation to visit India to watch the World Cup semi-final between the two arch-rivals.

Wednesday's match in Mohali will be the first between the two sides on Indian soil since the 2008 Mumbai attacks by Pakistan-based militants, which sent tensions soaring.

"It was decided in response to the Indian prime minister's invitation that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will visit India to witness the semi-final cricket match," the president's spokesman said in a statement Sunday.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday invited the president and prime minister to watch the match which will showcase one of the world's most intense sporting rivalries, fuelled by nationalism and a shared history.

Analysts said Singh's invitation was aimed at improving the environment for talks between the two nations.

Relations are still tense following the Mumbai attacks that left 166 people dead and stalled a fragile four-year peace process between the two nuclear-armed South Asian rivals.

"These kinds of visits do not suggest an instant solution to the problems but break the stalemate, help improve the environment which facilitates talks," analyst Hasan Askari told AFP.

Pakistan is holding seven suspects over the attacks on India's financial capital, including the alleged mastermind of the operation, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, and alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Zarar Shah.

India and Washington blamed the Mumbai siege on banned Pakistani militant group LeT.

Top officials from India and Pakistan are due to hold talks in Delhi from March 28 focusing on counter-terrorism, narcotics control and humanitarian issues.

"The diplomats will now be more relaxed in their dialogue but as the issues are complex, their solution will take time," Askari said.

The two countries announced the resumption of peace talks last month after a meeting between Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and his Indian counterpart Nirupama Rao in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu.

The international community has been pushing the two sides to get back to the negotiating table to help ease tensions in an already volatile region.

The pair embarked on a formal peace dialogue in 2004, which continued until the rupture caused by the Mumbai attacks.

They began to explore a resumption of structured talks last year, and Singh and Gilani met in Thimphu in April 2010.

A knock-out World Cup match on Indian soil is the biggest fixture between the rivals for decades and excitement is already at fever-pitch.

India have beaten Pakistan in all four of their World Cup meetings.

Indian media have generally hailed the attempt at "cricket diplomacy".

The Mail Today devoted two pages to a detailed look at the troubled history of the two nations, noting that sports had played a significant role "in soothing political relations between India and Pakistan."

The invitation was "the latest attempt to build healthy relations through sports," it added, referring to a famous cricket series between India and Pakistan in 2004.

The Asian Age took a more cautious stance, saying in an editorial that "the good thing about Dr Singh's invitation is that it cannot cause a setback, especially since expectations are seldom high in India-Pakistan relations."

"Civility is restored in the wake of such events, but in the end matters remain where they were," the newspaper said.

Indian High Commission lauds Gilani's visit

The Indian High Commission on Sunday said Prime Minister Gilani's presence will have a positive impact on Indo-Pak talks.

Speaking to the media, the Indian High Commissioner said the Indian embassy is working hard to deal with visa applications.

He said that there is no problem in issuing a visa, but tickets for the match remain an issue. The commissioner said the Visa Office is still receiving a large number of applications. He said although Wednesday's semi-final would be a big show, to win or lose, is part of the game.