Mirwaiz, Mehbooba hail PM's 'cricket diplomacy'

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi is not the only one to support Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's 'cricket diplomacy' in inviting Pakistan President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to visit India and watch Wednesday's semi-final game between India and Pakistan at Mohali.

All Party Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and opposition People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti have also extended their support to Dr Singh's initiative.

Both denied that they were taken aback by what many suggested was Dr Singh's 'sudden gesture.'

"No I would not say that I was taken aback by this move which has now come to be known as Dr Singh's cricket diplomacy," Mirwaiz told rediff.com from Srinagar.

"This is a positive move and would have an impact on bridging the gap between the two neighbours. This is a move to take the India-Pakistan dialogue process forward, and I hope the two prime ministers would discuss the relationship between the two countries on a serious note," Mirwaiz said.

Mehbooba Mufti told rediff.com from, "Any India-Pakistan clash, be it hockey or cricket, has always generated keen interest amongst the people. I know that (former Pakistan president) Parvez Musharraf's move to watch cricket match in Delhi did not yield desired results but what is more important is that the process of dialogue should continue."

"However, the cricket fans would be disappointed because not many from Pakistan would be able to reach the venue," she added.

"I am watching the game for sure tomorrow," said Mirwaiz, who 'hopes that the present move by Dr Singh would have an impact on the dialogue process that would help in solving the Kashmir problem.'