Reuters: World News: Pakistan's Zardari to make "personal" visit to India

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Pakistan's Zardari to make "personal" visit to India Apr 1st 2012, 10:44 Tweet Share this Email Print Related News U.S. drones attack militants in Pakistan, Yemen Fri, Mar 30 2012 U.S. generals, Pakistan army chief meet on NATO skirmish Wed, Mar 28 2012 Obama: Pakistan review must respect U.S. security needs Tue, Mar 27 2012 Pakistan parliament committee demands end to U.S. drone strikes Tue, Mar 20 2012 Pakistan PM appoints new head of powerful spy agency Fri, Mar 9 2012 Analysis & Opinion The woman who died twice; Pakistan and acid attacks Russian court rejects call to ban Hindu holy book Bhagavad Gita File photo of Pakistan's president Asif Ali Zardari in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region September 1, 2011. Credit: Reuters/China Daily ISLAMABAD | Sun Apr 1, 2012 6:44am EDT ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - President Asif Ali Zardari is expected soon to make the first visit to India by a Pakistani head of state since 2005, with relations between the nuclear-armed rivals at their warmest in years. Zardari's spokesman said on Sunday that the visit would be personal but held out the possibility that it could be official. Indian media quoted government sources there as saying they hoped there would be formal talks. "It has been on the cards, and now it is confirmed," spokesman Farhatullah Babar told Reuters. "It was supposed to be a private visit. But what it turns out (to be) finally, whether private, official, or private (and) official has yet to be confirmed," he added. Lasting Pakistan-India peace is seen as vital to South Asian stability and to smoothing a dangerous transition in Afghanistan as most NATO combat forces prepare to withdraw by the end of 2014. The atmosphere between the two has improved after a flurry of high-level meetings and Pakistan's recent promise to award its neighbor most favored nation trade status. Zardari is expected to visit a shrine to a revered Sufi saint in the Indian city of Ajmer. Indian newspapers, citing government sources, said that Indian officials were making efforts to hold political discussions during the visit. In November, Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh met in the Maldives and promised to open a new chapter in their troubled history. Distrust, border clashes and militant attacks have de-stabilized the region since the two nations were carved out of colonial India in 1947, with the disputed region of Kashmir at the heart of tensions. They fought three all-out wars since independence from the British and their border still bristles with soldiers. (Reporting by Sheree Sardar, Editing by Jonathan Thatcher) Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above.

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