New Delhi, Dec 08: In the midst of ‘positive developments' in Indo-Pak ties, Pakistan premier Zafarullah Khan Jamali tonight telephoned Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and appreciated him for confirming his attendance in the next month's Saarc summit, saying that a "warm welcome" awaited him in Islamabad next month. During the five-minute conversation, Vajpayee told Jamali that he was looking forward to his visit to Islamabad, official sources said.
Both the Prime Ministers agreed that there have been "positive bilateral developments" over the past few weeks, including the ceasefire along the line of control.
They felt that it is important that these positive trends are sustained, the sources said.
Jamali, who called at 19.30 hours from Paris, conveyed to Vajpayee his appreciation for the prime minister's letter confirming his attendance at the Saarc summit and said a "warm welcome awaits" him.
Vajpayee recalled that in their last conversation in April they had discussed the importance of people-to-people contact and economic cooperation and said progress has been made in these areas.
The Prime Minister expressed the hope that the Saarc summit would focus on progress in all aspects of regional economic cooperation.
Jamali said he was availing the first opportunity to ring up Vajpayee, who left for the Commonwealth summit in Nigeria on the day his letter confirming his participation in the Saarc summit was sent to the Pakistani premier last week. Bureau Report