Islamabad, October 2
External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh chose to chew his words carefully as he arrived here this evening for his second bilateral visit in eight months and stressed on fostering friendly relations and cooperation while leaving out any reference to terrorism.
After arriving here, the minister spoke in a language which had nothing jarring for Pakistani ears and said that the governments of India and Pakistan had responded to peoples’ sentiments in both countries for friendly relations.
Mr Natwar Singh did not meet members of accompanying media in his chartered Indian Airlines flight (IC 005) and did not take any questions from reporters at the Islamabad airport. He read out a measured, 24-line statement which gave little or no indication of the extent of his talks with the Pakistani leadership in the next two days.
The operative portion of the EAM’s arrival statement is as follows: “This frequency of high-level visits itself is reflective of the positive momentum of the bilateral relations between India and Pakistan. It is the overwhelming desire of the peoples in both our countries for friendly relations. Our governments respond to these sentiments and work towards a positive outcome to our deliberations... I am particularly happy to note that the Foreign Minister of Pakistan and I will also be presiding over the first meeting of the India-Pakistan Joint Commission to be held since 1989... I am hopeful that this meeting will provide a further impetus to increasing cooperation between our two countries in areas of mutual interest.”
Mr Natwar Singh has no official engagement today. He has one-to-one and delegation-level talks with his Pakistani counterpart tomorrow. The two Foreign Ministers will also sign two bilateral agreements on pre-notification of ballistic missile tests and setting up of communication links between Indian Coast Guards and Pakistan’s Maritime Security Agency.
An interesting feature of his tomorrow’s programme is a private lunch which Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri is hosting for Mr Natwar Singh. The two sides have reserved two hours for the private lunch.
The two Foreign Ministers are scheduled to preside over the first meeting of the India-Pakistan Joint Commission here on Tuesday, October 4. The same day Mr Natwar Singh is going to call on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and President Pervez Musharraf.
It is the EAM’s meeting with Gen Musharraf which is being viewed in diplomatic circles as the only one capable of springing a surprise.
