March, 11 2005	Friday	29 Muhharram 1426

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ISLAMABAD, March 10: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has in principle accepted Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s invitation to visit India to watch one of the Pakistan-India cricket matches, informed sources told Dawn on Thursday.

Sources said dates for the President’s visit would soon be firmed up through diplomatic channels.

President Musharraf, who is an avid follower of cricket, had said in an interview last week that he would love to watch some of the India-Pakistan cricket series, but only if invited.

Now the president had been approached for the Bangalore Test match scheduled later this month but the invitation extended on behalf of the Indian Prime Minister by the Indian High Commissioner Shiv Shankar Menon here on Thursday, is ‘open’ for any one of the matches that president chooses to watch. The Indian High Commissioner formally conveyed the invitation via the Foreign Office.

Although, the president has not indicated his preference for any specific match, it is learnt that he would rather go for a one-day international. All the one-day matches are scheduled for next month. Confirming receipt of the invitation, Foreign Office Spokesman Jalil Abbas Jilani told Dawn on Thursday that the president’s schedule was being looked at and a decision would be taken in due course.”

Officials here do not rule out the possibility of ‘some business’ during president’s expected trip to India. They hint at a one-on-one Musharraf-Manmohan meeting at which important bilateral issues could be taken up.