Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz arrived in India on Tuesday to help push a fragile peace process initiated by the two countries earlier this year. Aziz was received at the New Delhi airport by India's external affairs minister, Natwar Singh. He will meet a number of top Indian officials during his two-day visit. On Wednesday, his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to include discussions about Kashmir and the goodwill gained since January as both sides eased visa restrictions, resumed diplomatic contacts, and relaunched air and rail links. "It is the first visit of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to India, and we hope it will help improve relations between Pakistan and India," said Masood Khan, spokesman for Pakistan's foreign ministry, in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Aziz is visiting the region as chairman of the seven-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, or SAARC, which includes Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. India's prime minister and Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf are likely to meet in the Bangladesh capital during the SAARC summit in January.
