Indo-Pak cricket diplomacy reached its high point on Sunday morning with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf coming together to watch a one-day international cricket match in New Delhi.

It was a historic occasion when the leaders of the two nations shook hands with both teams at the start of the series-deciding match at the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium outside Delhi.

Clad in a grey suit, Musharraf looked relaxed and was all smiles as he expressed his best wishes to the players and the officials.

Musharraf then saluted the capacity crowd who responded with a roaring cheer.

It was the second time a Pakistani leader had come to India to watch an international cricket match between the two teams. In 1987, late Zia ul Haq was present at a test match in Jaipur.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri told reporters before going to watch the final tie that the cricket match between India and Pakistan should not be seen as a battle but as a sport.

On Indo-Pak relations, he said there has been a good progress in the people-to-people contact between the two nations, but it isessential to resolve the Kashmir issue.

Source: Xinhua