Islamabad, Nov 26: Having failed to end the deadlock over President Pervez Musharraf's presidency, Pakistan's military-backed Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has completed his first year in office on a high note this week by working out a rare ceasefire with India on the Line of Control. Jamali caught the world and his country by surprise on November 23 by announcing an unconditional and unilateral ceasefire along the LoC as well as re-modified proposals to normalise ties with India in his address to the nation over the TV to mark the completion of one year in office.

While announcing Eid ceasefire with India, the Pakistan Prime Minister also over-ruled the earlier conditional response given by Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar to the recent Indian proposals to normalise ties with Pakistan. Fresh from a prolonged Iftar dinner meeting with Musharraf and other top officials, Jamali said in his address that Pakistan was ready to hold talks with India to run bus services between Srinagar and Muzafarabad to link Kashmir regions on both sides, re-open Kokharapar-Monabao border connecting Pakistan's Sindh Province with Rajastan and to run a ferry service between Karachi and Mumbai.

Bureau Report