The Hindu : Front Page : Pranab, Sharif run into each other

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 06, 2006

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Pranab, Sharif run into each other

Amit Baruah

PARIS: "We met in the lift," Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said about his chance encounter with former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the Hilton Hotel on Tuesday.

Both Mr. Mukherjee and Mr. Sharif happened to be staying on the same floor of the Hilton, a stone's throw from the stately Eiffel Tower. "We exchanged pleasantries and I conveyed our good wishes for the people of Pakistan," the Defence Minister told presspersons accompanying him.

When some Indian reporters walked into the hotel lobby later, Mr. Sharif, clad in a natty blue suit, chatted amiably. "I'll be very happy to visit India. I look forward to visiting India," the former Prime Minister, who now lives in London, said.

Sitting with his wife, Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, he looked relaxed and well. Asked if he planned to return to Pakistan, he said, "[Pakistan President Pervez] Musharraf can't keep me out for too long."

What was his response to the killing of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti in Islamabad? "It was very unfortunate. I was very sad and upset..."

India-Pakistan relations, he said, would improve if both nations were democracies. "We could then have a meaningful dialogue." Pointing out that the Lahore Declaration of 1999 was issued when he was Prime Minister, Mr. Sharif alleged that Gen. Musharraf had subverted the whole peace process at the time by launching the Kargil incursion. "You [Indians] have talked to Musharraf. What has come out?" he asked.

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