ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday formally invited Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to visit Pakistan saying that it will provide an opportunity to the two leaderships to take stock of bilateral relations.

Presidential Spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the invitation has been extended through a letter sent to the Indian prime minister through Pakistan's high commission in New Delhi.

The president in his letter also suggested to the Indian premier to visit his ancestral hometown on the occasion of birth celebration of Baba Guru Nanak. This, the letter said, would not only be well received by the Pakistani nation but also reinforce our mutual desire to promote inter-faith and inter-religious harmony.

The president recalled his meeting with the Indian prime minister in New Delhi during his visit to Ajmer Sharif and expressed satisfaction over the forward movement of dialogue process and the taking place of several important engagements between the two countries. The president expressed the hope that the intensity and engagements will help promote our ties in the right direction and help in realising our shared dream of a peaceful and prosperous South Asia.

President Zardari further said that it was important to sustain the process and make it more productive and result-oriented.