Friday, April 15 2005 21:12 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Seeking to break fresh ground, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to place new confidence building measures (CBMs) to carry forward the peace process in his talks with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, who arrives in New Delhi tomorrow (Apr 16, 2005) on his first visit after the failed 2001 Agra Summit.

Singh, who will hold parleys with Musharraf on Sunday after witnessing the last one-day Indo-Pak cricket match for over an hour in the morning, is likely to suggest opening of additional bus routes and ways to promote tourism in Kashmir to enhance people-to-people contacts. A joint statement after the talks is not ruled out.

Official sources said that Musharraf, who will be accompanied by his wife Sehba and a 40-member delegation, has been conveyed Singh's suggestion that providing full security to the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service was the "joint responsibility" of the two countries and signals from that side have been "positive".

On the eve of Musharraf's visit, the Prime Minister told a Chief Ministers' conclave in New Delhi that "it is the joint responsibility of the Governments of India and Pakistan," to provide full security to the bus passengers. The two countries should fight the scourge of terrorism in the region, he added.

Minister of State for External Affairs Rao Inderjit Singh said that there is a possibility of a joint statement being issued after Singh-Musharraf parleys.

Underlining the importance of more people-to-people contacts for a conducive atmosphere in J&K, he said India would put forward more CBMs towards that end.

Musharraf will begin his three-day visit by offering prayers at the Dargah of the famous Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer. He will land directly in Jaipur from where he will take a helicopter to Ajmer.

The Pakistan President was unable to visit Ajmer during his last visit as the talks with the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee broke down and he flew back home directly from Agra.