Dec 28 , 2015
NewsModi’s visit to augur well for future talks: Sartaj
By Muhammad Saleh ZaafirISLAMABAD: While welcoming Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit on Friday, Adviser to the PM on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said that the symbolic trip would help in improving the atmosphere for the upcoming foreign secretaries’ talks on January 15.
The visit has sent positive signals to the officials concerned about the seriousness of the leadership in sorting out the disputes and it would help in reducing tension. He expressed the hope that structured dialogue between Pakistan and India on issues covering the comprehensive composite agenda could be kicked off in February as the foreign secretaries would chalk out a schedule for further talks between the two countries.
In an exclusive chat with ‘The News’ here on Sunday evening, Sartaj Aziz brushed aside the impression that powerful quarters had resented the visit of the Indian prime minister or shown disquiet about it. He said that the decision for the resumption of talks was taken on December 9 when Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj was in Islamabad and had a significant meeting at the Foreign Office. “Now the follow-up is going on and the Indian prime minister has made the goodwill gesture by dropping in on Lahore and extending felicitations to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on his birthday,” he said.
He was of the view that it would be enough to start with if the Line of Control (LoC) became peaceful, movement across the line started again and normal channels of communications were opened between the two countries. “Issues like Siachen, Sir Creek, CBMs, water, Kashmir and terrorism are picked for structured talks by the foreign secretaries and could determine the course for dialogue on these subjects,” he said.
Meanwhile, sources told this scribe that Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry returned to Islamabad from Lahore and it was likely that a high-level meeting would take place in the Foreign Office today (Monday) where the various contours of the Modi trip and related points would be thrashed out thoroughly. Sartaj Aziz would chair the meeting. Special Assistant to the PM on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi, Special Secretary Muhammad Waheedul Hasan, Additional Secretary for Asia-Pacific (AP) Iftikhar Aziz, Director General South Asia (SA) Dr Muhammad Faisal Chaudhry and other senior officials would attend the meeting. Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry who was present in Lahore during the visit of the Indian prime minister, will brief the meeting about the trip. Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit Khan, who is in Pakistan, would return to New Delhi later this week but he would have consultations with the high-ups of the Foreign Office before leaving for the Indian capital, the sources added. It couldn’t be ruled out that the sudden visit of Narendra Modi could echo in the ongoing session of the Senate today.
Courtesy www.thenews.com.pk