NEW DELHI, Jan 18: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Wednesday he was “very keen” to visit Pakistan and wanted it to be “substantive”. Singh conveyed this when Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan renewed the invitation to visit Pakistan extended to him by President Pervez Musharraf.

The Prime Minister said an “appropriate occasion” would be found for his visit to Pakistan, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran told newsmen here.

Meanwhile in response to a query about the visit of Indian Premier to Pakistan during a press conference held at Pakistan High Commission, the Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan said such high level visits were always important and gave impetus and momentum to the positive developments.

There is an invitation from President Pervez Musharraf to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, he said adding, whenever visit took place it would be welcomed and would be beneficial.—APP