KARACHI, Dec 12: Gen Pervez Musharraf said on Friday he was hopeful that Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee would come to Islamabad for the Saarc summit, but he could not say more until Mr Vajpayee actually arrived in Pakistan.

President Musharraf was talking to newsmen at the end of the induction ceremony of Pakistan’s first indigenously built Agosta 90B submarine at the PN Dockyard.

Asked to comment on the fencing along the Line of Control by India, he said Pakistan had protested over it. The status of the LoC had not been changed and nothing should be done to change its status, especially when talks for rapproachment were being held.

About the MMA’s deadline of Dec 18, Gen Musharraf said the opposition was mentioning a date to impress the people that the government had yielded to pressure.