KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shaharyar Khan has extended an invitation to prominent officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and functionaries of the Indian government to attend a match of Pakistan’s upcoming series against Zimbabwe in Lahore.

A Press Trust of India (PTI) report said Shaharyar, during his visit to India, met with a key leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur in New Delhi, to extend the invitations in a bid to improve relations between the two boards and pave way for the revival of bilateral India-Pakistan cricketing ties.

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“We are hopeful that Arun Jaitley or Anurag Thakur will come to Lahore as our special guests for one of the limited-overs matches against Zimbabwe in Lahore later this month,” PTI quoted a PCB official as saying.

Zimbabwe, during their tour to Pakistan from May 19, would play three One-Day Internationals and two Twenty20 Internationals at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

The PCB chief has been on a visit to India to meet with key BCCI and Indian government officials.

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During his meeting with BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya in Kolkata, Shaharyar also brought up the issue of Pakistani players being denied participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“Dalmiya has assured he will look into the matter and it would also be discussed at the next working committee meeting of the Indian board,” the PCB official told PTI.