ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI, 9 January 2006 — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has no plans to visit Pakistan to attend any match during a forthcoming cricket series, his spokesman said yesterday, a day after Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf issued an impromptu invitation.
Speculation that the two leaders would seize the opportunity for a fresh round of “cricket diplomacy” to give a two-year old peace process more momentum was sparked by Musharraf’s comments in an interview aired on Saturday by Indian TV channel CNN-IBN.
“The prime minister has no plans to go to Pakistan for any cricket match,” Sanjaya Baru, spokesman for Manmohan, told Reuters.
Manmohan has a longstanding invitation to visit Pakistan, but while the Indian prime minister has responded positively he has never committed to any date. Cricket has often played a big role in improving diplomatic relations between the two neighbors.
Last year, Musharraf visited Delhi to watch a One-Day International between the two teams. In 2004, the Indian team’s first visit to Pakistan in 14 years gave the peace process a boost as ordinary Pakistanis warmly welcomed visiting Indian fans, giving the two governments confidence to agree on steps for more people to people contact.
In 1987 Pakistan’s late President Zia ul-Haq had also flown to India in the midst of a cricket series to watch a match during a period of tense relations between both countries.
Also during the interview, Musharraf accused India of arming and financing rebels in the Pakistani province of Balochistan.
Pakistan’s Army launched a crackdown against Balochistan militants after a Dec. 14 rocket attack while Musharraf was visiting the region. Balochi nationalists say 200 people have since been killed, but Pakistan has not commented on casualties.
When asked whether India was backing armed Balochi rebels, Musharraf said: “There are lot of indications, yes indeed.” There is a “lot of financial support, support in kind being given to those who are anti-government, anti-me and to those feudal people who are anti-national,” the Pakistani leader said.
A spat erupted this month after India expressed concerns about the situation in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan.
India on Saturday rejected earlier Pakistani charges of involvement in Balochistan.
