Gilani accepts PM invite to Indo-Pak semifinal

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani today accepted his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh’s invitation to watch the World Cup semi-final between the cricket teams of the two countries at Mohali on Wednesday. Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said, the decision was taken following a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Mr.Gilani, which began at midnight last night and lasted for about two hours. He said that Pakistan had already welcomed Dr. Singh’s invitation to Mr. Zardari and Mr. Gilani to watch the match.
‘The News’ daily, meanwhile, quoted its sources as saying that Gilani would informally meet Singh during the match and a formal meeting would be held after the game.
Separately, ‘The Nation’ newspaper quoted its sources as saying that Gilani would pay a two-day visit to India for a fresh round of “cricket diplomacy.”
It said that Gilani’s decision to accept Singh’s invitation has been conveyed to New Delhi through diplomatic channels.