Indian PM has no plans to visit Pakistan for cricket
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-01-09 09:48

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has no plans to visit Pakistan to attend any match during a forthcoming cricket series, his spokesman said on Sunday, a day after Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf issued an impromptu invitation.

Speculation that the two leaders would seize the opportunity for a fresh round of "cricket diplomacy" to give a two-year old peace process more momentum was sparked by Musharraf's comments in an interview aired on Saturday by Indian TV channel CNN-IBN.

"The Prime Minister has no plans to go to Pakistan for any cricket match," Sanjaya Baru, spokesman for Singh, told Reuters.

Singh has a longstanding invitation to visit Pakistan, but while the Indian prime minister has responded positively he has never committed to any date.

Cricket has often played a big role in improving diplomatic relations between the two neighbours.

Last year, Musharraf visited Delhi to watch a one-day international between the two teams.

In 2004, the Indian team's first visit to Pakistan in 14 years gave the peace process a boost as ordinary Pakistanis warmly welcomed visiting Indian fans, giving the two governments confidence to agree on steps for more people to people contact.

In 1987 Pakistan's late President Zia-ul-Haq had also flown to India in the midst of a cricket series to watch a match during a period of tense relations between both countries.