Thaindian News

Wagah-Attari border, Mar 27(ANI): Pakistan is ready to talk on all issues with India, Home Secretary Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, who arrived in the country on Sunday for secretary level talks with his Indian counterpart G.K. Pillai on March 28- 29, has said.

Chaudhry, who came to India through the Wagah-Attari border check post with an ‘open mind’, hoped that the talks would be held in an congenial atmosphere with his colleague.

“My priority would be to take this message of peace and friendship from Pakistan to my friends in India, with whom I will get the opportunity to meet after a break of couple of years to exchange our views. A number of issues are those required in promoting our relationship between the two countries, ” Chaudhry said as soon as he entered the Indian territory on Sunday afternoon.

He said everyone in Pakistan was happy over Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s invitation to his Pakistani counterpart Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari to come to India to watch the Indo-Pak semi-final World Cup clash in Mohali on March 30.

“Every one, including our President and PM, are happy over this, and they have accepted the same with pleasure,” Chaudhary said.

About people-to-people contacts between both nations, he said that in New Delhi, they would talk about making the travel of the common man easier by relaxing the visa terms.

Commenting on ‘cricket diplomacy’, Chaudhary said as the sport is highly popular in the entire South Asian region, anything that has the commonality must come forward to forge closer ties between the two countries.

“There must be a good game and sportsmanship should prevail all’, remarked the Pakistan Home Secretary.

When asked about Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants’ alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Chaudhary said one should not talk about divisive issues in this hour of ‘goodwill’ at the border, when talks of friendship are in the air along with a common passion, cricket. (ANI)