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18th SAARC Summit: A day after cold shoulder, signs of thaw between india, pakistan kv prasad in kathmandu November 27 A thunderous applause in the City Hall thereafter said it all as Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala stood in the background with a “mission accomplished” smile. Nepal had been promising to make it possible for the two leaders to meet after cold vibes between them clouded the Summit. Irrespective of what Nepal did or not to make it happen, there was an acknowledgement that the “excellent ambience” created by the host country at the idyllic Retreat in Dhulhikhel proved to be ideal setting for the SAARC leaders to take forward their conversation on an informal note. Modi, who arrived in an IAF helicopter, reached ahead of Sharif as per the schedule and met him as he walked in to greet his fellow Heads of Government. “An exchange of pleasantries took place between Modi and Sharif at the Retreat where the atmosphere was congenial and extremely comfortable,” said External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin. Though he maintained that SAARC was not about India and Pakistan (a view echoed by Pakistan PM’s Foreign Policy Adviser Sartaj Aziz), relations between New Delhi and Islamabad have cast a shadow over the Summit proceedings. Asked whether the handshake at the end of the Summit could lead to resumption of talks between the two countries, Akbaruddin said India was for peaceful cooperative relations with Pakistan and was interested in a meaningful dialogue. “It (the handshake) leads to it, we welcome…the emphasis is on a meaningful dialogue,” he said. Three months ago, India had called off talks scheduled between the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan, taking objection to Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit’s decision to meet Kashmiri separatist leaders in New Delhi. On its part, Pakistan said it was for India to resume the process after having called it off. Hasina misses photo shoot
As the leaders of SAARC reached Dhulikhel resort, some 25 km east of Kathmandu, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave the event a miss owing to an eye ailment thus turning the customary Heads of Government photo shoot into an all-male front row. The presence of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and another official in the rows behind prevented it from being an all-male event.
Colour of the day
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen in animated conversation with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani with the Himalayan range forming a wonderful backdrop. For the benefit of visitors, the organisers put out information as to why yellow was the colour of the day identifying one day each with one colour, planet gem and plant. This was the reason all the leaders wore yellow colour scarfs at the photo shoot.
Modi plants banyan sapling
Marking the arrival of the leaders at Dhulikhel, leaders planted a sapling with Prime Minister Modi planting a banyan sapling which was watered by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. The sapling was enclosed in a raised platform with a tablet showing it as the Indian PM’s contribution.
Sweets from all nations
The leaders were treated to a five-course vegetarian fare starting with an appetiser, salad, soup, main course comprising a Nepali thali and dessert. In keeping with the spirit of cooperation that SAARC strives to achieve, the dessert had a dish from each country — Balkava (from Afghanistan), Rasbari (Bangladesh), Daisee (Bhutan), Gujarati Basundi with Jalebi (India), Phirini (Maldives), Sikarni (Nepal), Shahi Tukara (Pakistan) and Watalappan (Sri Lanka).
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