Keen to visit Pakistan but in 'proper atmosphere': Manmohan Singh

On Board Air India One, Aug 31 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Friday he was keen to visit Pakistan but only if the "proper atmosphere" was created.

"I am very keen to visit Pakistan and am very grateful to President (Asif Ali) Zardari but I also mentioned we have to create a proper atmosphere," Manmohan Singh told reporters on board his special aircraft on his way home from Tehran after attending the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit.

"Pakistan says it is doing all to deal with terror directed against India. Charging the 26/11 perpetrators is a crucial test of Pakistan's sincerity of bringing those responsible for this horrible crime to book. Zardari and (Interior Minister) Rehman Malik said they were subject to the vagaries of the court process," Manmohan Singh said.

The prime minister also hoped that the foreign ministers of the two countries, at their meeting next month, "can explore the possibility of my purposeful visit to Pakistan".

Zardari had extended the invitation when Manmohan Singh met him in Tehran Thursday evening on the sidelines of the NAM summit. He had extended the invitation when he came to New Delhi in April.

Manmohan Singh had told him he was keen to visit Pakistan but Islamabad must first take concrete action against the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror saying, saying this would be the biggest sub-continental confidence and trust building measure.

Manmohan Singh's response on both occasions had been the same: that Pakistan must do much more to contain terror directed against India.