NC, PDP hail Singh’s invitation to Pak PM, CM

Srinagar: A day after Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh extended invitation to Pakistan president and his counterpart to join him to watch Indo-Pak cricket clash in Mohali, ruling National Conference and opposition PDP Saturday hoped that it would pave way for better ties between the neighbours. “Hopefully Pakistani leaders will understand the feelings and sentiment behind the Prime Minister’s invitation and come to watch the semi final at Mohali,” Farooq Abdullah, president of ruling National Conference, told reporters on the sidelines of a function at SKICC here.He said that this would offer an opportunity to the leaders to talk and pave way for improvement in relations between the two countries.” “We hope that the game is good and the two sides play well. A new chapter will be added to the India-Pakistan story,” he added as per a correspondent.Prime Minister Manmohan Sigh yesterday extended invitations to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Reza Gilani to watch India-Pakistan semifinal of the ICC Cricket World Cup at Mohali on March 30.While hailing the decision of Dr Manmohan Singh, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba exuded confidence that this gesture would help in bringing in positive change in this sub-continent. “Though the step is a small in nature, it could act as a catalyst to improve the relations between two countries leading to a formal dialogue at highest level”, she said and hoped that this step would help in breaking the ice and to resume the dialogue process which had been stalled since 2008 after some unfortunate events.Hoping that this small gesture would give an impetus to the process of normalisation of bilateral ties between the two countries, PDP chief said that people of Jammu and Kashmir were hopeful that this development would have a positive impact on the situation in the State.Recalling 2003 cricket match between India and Pakistan at Lahore, PDP chief said the then Pakistan President General Parvez Musharraf had extending invitation to Indian leadership at time. A large number of people from India had gone to watch that match and that development had helped in opening channel of communication between civil society of both the countries.“Both the countries have to seize the present opportunity to further improve their relations”, she said and stressed on the need of restarting exchange programmes for the artists, professionals and members of civil society from both the countries.She further said that extending invitation to watch cricket match was a welcome step but much more needed to be done because any  confrontation between the two countries were not in the interest of the people of sub-continent in general and Jammu and Kashmir in particular. She pointed out that Indo-Pak cooperation was the key to resolving the region’s problems so both the countries have to show maturity in the interest of the people.