Gilani, Singh to witness Pak-India semi-final in Mohali; to meet at dinner
Shahid Saleem Khan
CHANDIGARH, March 29 (APP): As Pakistan and India go face to face in what is being described as “Clash of Titans” or “high voltage” ICC World Cup second semi-final in Mohali on Wednesday, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh will have a meeting on dinner, after witnessing the match. During the meeting on dinner, the two leaders are expected to discuss the whole range of bilateral relations. Prime Minister Gilani, who will arrive here by Wednesday noon, is visiting India to witness the Pakistan-India semi-final at Mohali, on the invitation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Gilani will be accompanied by a 20-member delegation of important political leaders, members of the Federal Cabinet and Parliamentarians.
While the Indian Prime Minister, who will witness the match together with Prime Minister Gilani at Mohali, will be joined by Chairman United Progress Alliance (UPA) and Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and some Cabinet Ministers, the Indian media reports said.   
The Indian Prime Minister had invited President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to witness the ICC World Cup semi-final between the two teams.
“Prime Minister Gilani’s presence in Mohali signifies the tremendous enthusiasm of the people of Pakistan for cricket. It also coincides with the resumption of the Pakistan-India dialogue process,” a foreign office statement issued in Islamabad said.
“The two Prime Ministers are expected to have a conversation on all issues of mutual interest on the sidelines of the cricket match,”the statement added.
Earlier, Prime Minister Gilani told the Cabinet on Monday, which was convened two days ahead of schedule to discuss his India visit, that he had decided to avail this opportunity in national interest.
He said it was also a timely opportunity for the two governments to show the world that the two nations can play together and sit and deliberate on issues of national importance.
The Wednesday’s meeting between Prime Minister Gilani and his Indian counterpart, followed their meetings in July 2009 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on the sidelines of the NAM Summit, and in April 2010 in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu.
Gilani and Singh also exchanged greetings at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington in April 2010.
The cricket diplomacy between Pakistan and India dates back to 1987 when former President Zia-ul-Haq visited Jaipur to watch a test match between the two countries in the company of the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
In April 2005, former President Pervez Musharraf visited India to watch a one-day international between the two countries at Ferozshah Kotla in Delhi.