New Delhi: Carrying forward the peace initiative, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on May 2 announced in the Lok Sabha that India has decided to appoint a High Commissioner to Pakistan and restore civil aviation links on a reciprocal basis.

Making a statement on the peace initiative with Pakistan, Vajpayee said he had discussed ways of carrying forward bilateral relations during the telephone call he received from Pakistani Prime Minister Mir Zaffarullah Khan Jamali on April 28.

Giving details of the telephonic talk, Vajpayee said, "In this regard, I emphasised the importance of economic co-operation, cultural exchanges, people-to-people contacts and civil aviation links."

"These would create an environment in which difficult issues in our bilateral relations could be addressed. Prime Minister Jamali suggested resumption of sporting links between the two countries. We agreed that, as a beginning, these measures could be considered," he said.

"In this context, it has been decided to appoint a High Commissioner to Pakistan and to restore the civil aviation links on a reciprocal basis," the Prime Minister said.

Observing that Jamali condemned terrorism during their conversation, Vajpayee said the Pakistani Prime Minister had also conveyed his appreciation for the comments made by him in Srinagar as also his remarks about India-Pakistan relations in the two Houses of Parliament.

"We are committed to the improvement of relations with Pakistan and we are willing to grasp every opportunity for doing so," he said.

PTI