The Hindu : Front Page : Pakistan for sustainable peace in South Asia: Shaukat Aziz

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 24, 2004

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Front Page

Pakistan for sustainable peace in South Asia: Shaukat Aziz

By Amit Baruah

Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and his wife being welcomed by External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh on their arrival at Palam Air Force Station in New Delhi on Tuesday. — Photo: Shanker Chakravarty

NEW DELHI, NOV. 23. India and Pakistan have agreed to press ahead with their composite dialogue, the External Affairs Ministry spokesman said soon after the Pakistan Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz, met the External Affairs Minister, Natwar Singh, this evening.

The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, telephoned Mr. Aziz soon after he arrived and welcomed him to New Delhi. Dr. Singh said he looked forward to meeting Mr. Aziz tomorrow.

Mr. Aziz, who flew in from the Maldives on Monday, told Pakistani presspersons on board his special aircraft, "I wish to have sustainable peace in South Asia and also to promote objectives of the SAARC [South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation]." He hoped that his visit would augur well for the peace process between India and Pakistan and that the two countries would move from "tactical" to "strategic" issues, the official Associated Press of Pakistan news agency quoted him as saying.

Meets Hurriyat leaders

Mr. Aziz met the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, L.K. Advani, and the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

He also met the four factions of the separatist Kashmiri leadership. Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Shabir Shah and Yasin Malik are said to have had separate meetings with Mr. Aziz followed by a joint dinner meeting.

Interestingly, the meeting between Mr. Aziz and the United Progressive Alliance chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, that was scheduled for Wednesday and was "to be confirmed" in the circulated programme, will not take place.

No official explanation was forthcoming, but Ms. Gandhi is said to be indisposed. The Pakistani side had asked for a meeting with the Congress president.

Mr. Aziz, who was to meet the Petroleum Minister, Mani Shankar Aiyar, today, will now meet him tomorrow.

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