Congress president Sonia Gandhi is likely to decline a recent invitation from Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to visit Pakistan,even though the party continues to back Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs peace initiative with that country. During his visit to Mohali on March 30,Gilani invited both Singh and Sonia to Islamabad. While there is no official word about the Prime Ministers response,official sources said that Sonia would decline. Her decision though,is yet to be communicated to Islamabad formally,the sources said. According to the sources,while the ruling party endorses the Mohali spirit between the two countries and is fully behind the Prime Minister on this,it would prefer to let the government deal in diplomacy. Sonia is apparently reluctant to travel out of the country at a time when she is busy fighting multiple crises faced by the government and her party. Incidentally,only last month,she was in London for six days on a private visit,during which she delivered the 2011 Commonwealth Lecture. Sonia last travelled to Islamabad in December 1988,with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. She has since declined all invites,even though Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra visited Pakistan in 2004 to watch a One-Day International. Following the Mumbai attacks,the Congress opposed resumption of the composite dialogue until Pakistan brought the perpetrators to justice. Party spokespersons refused to endorse for about a week the July 2009 Indo-Pak joint statement at Sharm el-Sheikh de-linking talks and action against terror,until Sonia herself came out to back it.
