Amid peace overtures, Pakistan said on Friday it will host the cancelled ninth South Asian Federation Games in Islamabad in the hope that India will send its team to the regional competition.

The thrice-postponed and then cancelled SAF Games will be held in Pakistan, Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali told reporters.

Pakistan had last month cancelled the Games following India's reluctance to take part. But after his telephone conversation with Prime Minster Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Jamali said it was decided to conduct the Games in Islamabad, as planned earlier.