Pakistan would welcome talks with India

Pakistan would welcome talks with India on resuming cricket ties, Pakistan Cricket Board director Munawwar Rana said on Tuesday.

"If anyone wants to hold talks with us or speak to us on the issue of resuming Indo-Pak cricket ties, we would look forward to it," he said.

Suresh Kalmadi, president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOC), has been quoted as saying the resumption of cricket ties -- disrupted by political and military tensions between the two countries -- would be discussed during a regional meeting in Islamabad later this week.

Kalmadi said he had received positive signals from the Delhi government to use a meeting on the South Asian Federation (SAF) games on Saturday to discuss the matter.

"So far we have received no communication from anyone that the Indian officials want to meet with PCB officials," Rana said.

"But as in the past our stand remains that it is in the interest of sports and International and Asia cricket that India and Pakistan play regularly," said Rana.

Kalmadi, a former federal minister now a Rajya Sabha MP from the main opposition Congress Party, said union sports minister Uma Bharti has asked him to start a dialogue on resuming normal sporting links, including cricket.

Rana said that Pakistan was concerned with the break in cricket ties between the two countries since it also affected the International Cricket Council (ICC)'s 10-year programme.

Last week, Pakistan told an ICC executive board meeting in Cape Town it would seek compensation if India cancelled or pulled out of series in the 10-year programme.

India and Pakistan have not played an international cricket match since May 2000, with the Indian government refusing to allow its team to play Pakistan in test or one-day internationals.

Mail Cricket Editor