"The invitiation extended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Sharif is a welcome and bold step. Such confidence-building measures will bring the two countries together and hold the key to resolution of issues between the two (neighbours)," the Union minister for new and renewable energy minister said in a statement in Srinagar.
He congratulated the people of Pakistan for exercising their democratic rights and rejecting gun culture. Abdullah, also the president of the ruling National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir, said that his party "will continue to play as a bridge between India and Pakistan".