Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's invitation to his Pakistani counterpart, Yousuf Raza Gilani, to watch the World Cup semi-final cricket match at Mohali reflected India's “holistic” approach towards friendly relations with that country and it did not mean that India was making any compromise on the issue of terrorism, the Congress said here on Monday.
India had always been desirous of friendly relations with Pakistan, party spokesperson Manish Tewari said here, stressing: “Notwithstanding setbacks, successive Indian administrations have made overtures to the authorities there, civilian or military.” Mr. Tewari also noted the invitation was a well-thought-out move.
But notwithstanding Mr. Tewari's positive spin on the invitation, a section in the Congress, sources said, was apprehensive about the possible fallout of a Pakistani victory in Mohali. In such an eventuality, Pakistan would have to play the final in Mumbai, the scene of the 26/11 terror strikes. The sources said this could well prove to be a headache for the administration in that city, given that there were elements in Mumbai who would like to disrupt such a match.
