News
Monday, June 21, 2010
Malik-Chidambaram meeting likely during SAARC conference
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik and his Indian counterpart P Chidambaram are expected to have a separate one-on-one interaction on June 26 at the sidelines of the 3rd SAARC interior ministers’ meeting in Islamabad, Daily Times has learnt.
The Foreign Ministry announced a separate meeting between Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao in Islamabad on June 24, while the two foreign ministers are scheduled to meet on July 15.
The two interior ministers are likely to take up the new dossier of evidence related to the November 2008 Mumbai attacks provided by the Indian government on Friday. The Pakistani side is expected to raise the issue of alleged Indian involvement in Balochistan.
The SAARC interior ministers’ conference has been postponed many a times due to disputes among the eight members countries.
The three-day conference was scheduled to be held in Islamabad from February 18 to 20, but was postponed due to the Indian proposal for secretary level talks between Pakistan and India.
The conference was then rescheduled for February 26 to 28, but was postponed again, as the Nepalese Home Minister Bhim Rawal expressed his unavailability on the said dates.
The member countries were then planning to meet on March 10, but the Sri Lankan government expressed its reservation regarding attendance.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk