Islamabad: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is going to India primarily to witness the Pakistan-India World Cup semifinal and "not to discuss the Kashmir issue", says a minister.
Gilani will be visiting India to watch the crucial cricket match on the invitation of his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh. The trip is being described as cricket diplomacy.
The match will be held in Mohali on March 30.
Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan said on Monday after a cabinet meeting that Gilani was primarily going to watch the cricket match, and "not to discuss the Kashmir issue".
She quickly added that the two prime ministers could discuss anything on the occasion.
Dawn on Tuesday quoted her as saying that the Foreign Office and Pakistan's High Commission in New Delhi were working to fully utilise it to better relations between the two neighbours.
The occasion would be used to bridge the communication gap between the leaderships of the two countries through this gesture of goodwill from New Delhi, the minister said.
She said Gilani believed that the invitation was a significant way forward on the diplomatic front.
India suspended the composite dialogue with Pakistan after the November 2008 Mumbai terror attack that left 166 people dead.
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