Islamabad: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and President Pervez Musharraf today (Jan 5, 2004) welcomed the steps taken by India and Pakistan towards normalisation of relations and expressed hope that the process will continue.

"Both leaders have welcomed the recent steps of normalisation of relations between the two countries and expressed hope that the process will continue," External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha told reporters after an hour-long meeting between the two leaders.

In an apparent reference to the statement by Pakistani Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed that a joint declaration was likely to be issued after the crucial meeting, Sinha said, "At this stage, if anyone is saying anything more than what I have said, he or she is not doing justice to (the) cause."

Asked to explain the "cause", Sinha said, "the cause is furtherance of the process that was started on April 18 by the Indian Prime Minister", a reference to Vajpayee's speech in Srinagar when he extended the hand of friendship to Pakistan.