Indian PM invites Gilani, Zardari for World Cup semi-final

NEW DELHI: India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has invited Pakistan’s president and prime minister to watch the ICC World Cup semi-final between the countries, Indian media reported on Friday.

Singh said he intended to attend the match, to be held in Mohali in northern India next Wednesday, and sent a letter to invit Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Yousuf Raza Gilani to also watch the game, the Press Trust of India news agency and other media reported.Singh’s letter says “there is huge excitement … we are looking forward to a great game of cricket that will be a victory for sport.”India ousted defending champions on Thursday to set up the mouthwatering tie against the 1992 champions.Meanwhile, Indian authorities have decided to relax visa policies for Pakistani fans wishing to attend the semi-final and the final, to be held in Mumbai on April 2.The move came as thousands of Pakistani fans applied for Indian visas for the March 30 match. Authorities say they will issue around 5,000 visas to ticket-holding spectators.The Pakistan cricket team arrived in Chandigarh Friday evening ahead of the match against India.