Tuesday, April 12 2005 22:10 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf wants to keep his date with Ajmer Sharif this time when he comes on a brief visit to India to watch the final one-day cricket match between India and Pakistan in New Delhi on April 17.

A high-level meeting was held today (Apr 12, 2005) during which officials from Pakistan handed over the list of preliminary itinerary of their President according to which he would like to land straight in Jaipur from where he would take a helicopter to Ajmer on April 16.

However, senior Rajasthan Government officials favoured Musharraf's visit on Monday as there would be huge throngs of people in the shrine in Ajmer because of an important religious occasion on Saturday.

The Pakistani officials, attending the meeting, have promised to return after talking to the President's Secretariat in Islamabad. However, they said Musharraf was keen that he prayed at the Dargah of Ajmer Sharif this time.

Musharraf was to visit Ajmer during his visit to Agra in 2002 but had to cancel his trip to Ajmer after the summit failed and the atmosphere was not congenial.

In Delhi, among the callers on the Pakistani President would be the External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh which would be followed by the Congress president Sonia Gandhi on April 16.

Musharraf would be later meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a dinner to be hosted by him.

On Sunday, Musharraf would be witnessing the last cricket one dayer between India and Pakistan at Ferozshah Kotla after which he would attend a lunch hosted by President A P J Abdul Kalam.

There would be no ceremonial reception for Musharraf as this was not being treated as a state visit.

Leader of Opposition and BJP president L K Advani would be calling on Musharraf at Pakistan House which would be followed by separatist leaders from Jammu and Kashmir including Hurriyat Conference.

Musharraf, who will be staying in one of the five-star hotel in New Delhi, is likely to hold a meeting with the Prime Minister after that.

On Monday, he will leave for home.