Pakistan`s President Pervez Musharraf set off for Nepal on Thursday for a summit of leaders of SAARC countries. He will stop by in China before heading for the Himalayan kingdom. "The plane took off at 9.15 a.m. (0415 GMT)," a Pakistani foreign ministry official said. Musharraf is travelling to Kathmandu via Beijing after Indian banned overflights by Pakistani commercial aircraft as part of a package of sanctions in the wake of a bloody raid on the Indian parliament on December 13.
Though Pakistan has been calling for a dialogue with India, Vajpayee has rejected the offer saying that Pakistan must take crack down on terrorists first. There are reports that the Nepalese Prime Minister is trying to get Musharraf and Vajpayee hold informal talks at tea hosted by him. Musharraf will spend Thursday night in Beijing and hold talks with Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji before travelling to Kathmandu on Friday, Pakistani officials said.
Bureau Report