Karachi, Dec 2 : Pakistani Sports Minister Pir Aftab Shah Jilani has said that Pakistan will welcome India if they opted to come here for a much-awaited cricket series scheduled for January-February next year.

Jilani told reporters that Pakistan will show "sportsman spirit" by hosting India in a friendly environment, and urged the Indian Government to clear the eagerly awaited tour.

"We don't believe in mixing sports and politics. There may be tensions between the governments but sports shouldn't suffer," said Jilani, a senior leader of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

The cricket series (against India) should go on and "I want assure India that if decided to send its team to Pakistan, we will host it in a befitting manner," The News quoted him, as saying.

India is scheduled to tour Pakistan from January 4 to play three Tests, five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 International. But the series is in doubt because of the strained relations between Pakistan and India in the wake of the Mumbai killings.

Media reports suggest that the Indian Government has decided against clearing its cricket team's visit to Pakistan.

ANI