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Pak-India officials met two times ‘quietly’ ahead of Nawaz-Modi shake hand
Doval, Sujatha met Abdul Basit separately, secretly
INPNEW DELHI – Senior officials of Pakistan and India have held two quiet meetings over the last one week days before Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi go to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, Indian media reported on Sunday.
The Sunday Express newspaper reported that these (two meetings) were the first contacts between top-ranking officials almost a month after cancellation of the August 25 talks between the foreign affairs secretaries over Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit’s meeting with Kashmiri leaders in New Delhi.
Quoted a senior government source, the Indian paper reported that the first meeting took place between Indian National Security Adviser Ajit K Doval and Abdul Basit on September 13. “This was their first one-on-one meeting since the Modi government installed. “Doval conveyed that the prime minister (Modi) was committed to normalisation of relations with Pakistan,” the paper reported.
The second meeting, which took place a few days later, was between Foreign Affairs Secretary Sujatha Singh and Abdul Basit. This was their first meeting after their last phone conversation on August 18 when Sujatha had given Basit an ultimatum that the secretary-level talks, scheduled for August 25, will be called off if his meeting with Kashmiri leaders was not cancelled.
In the meeting, Sujatha and Basit agreed that they need to move forward. In both the meetings, the issue of the Hurriyat leaders was not raised by either side. There was an element of positivity in both the meetings, as perceived from perusal of the record of discussions prepared by the Ministry of External Affairs, the paper reported.
While no formal proposal has been suggested by either side for a meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz and Prime Minister Modi in New York, these meetings — between Doval and Basit, and Sujatha and Basit — took place before Nawaz Sharif’s plans for New York were finalised. Prime Minister Nawaz will be leaving for the US on September 24, will address the UN General Assembly on September 26, and leave for Pakistan on September 27 while Modi’s schedule is yet to be finalised.
The Indian prime minister is expected to reach on September 26 and address the General Assembly on September 27. “So there is a window of opportunity as both leaders will be in New York at the same time. It depends on the two leaders whether they want to avail the opportunity or not,” the paper reported.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk