No proposal yet on Modi–Sharif meeting: Pakistan diplomat
16/09/2014 11:37
According to Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit, there is no proposal either from India or his country for a meeting between Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif during the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York later this month. Addressing the interactive session on “Indo-Pak Economic Growth” organized by ASSOCHAM here, Mr. Basit said, “As of this moment I am not aware of any proposal in this regard”. While Prime Minister Modi will be in New York from September 26 to 29, Sharif is scheduled to be there from September 22 to 27. Though there is an overlapping of small period when both the leaders will be there, a meeting is unlikely given the frosty ties between the two countries. The two countries witnessed a war of words last month as India cancelled Foreign Secretary-level meeting after Pakistan went ahead with talks with the Kashmiri separatists despite India asking it to choose a "dialogue with India or talks with separatists". Abdul Basit further said that the new Indian government under leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modia has plan of action for the SAARC region as whole. “We hope that India under the new leadership would be able to realise its development agenda” as SAARC is like a “Mohalla” and it makes no sense for an individual country to grow like an island in the midst of poverty and illiteracy in the region. He extended Pakistan support in this regard. On energy cooperation, he said that there is big scope for India using coal reserves from Pakistan for its electricity generation. Pakistan has world’s 5th largest coal reserves. Besides, there are opportunities in mutual investment in power and natural gas. Mr. Basit said, he was in touch with the authorities of the two countries in this regard. He was also in close contact with a few private businesses which are keen to tap Pakistani’s coal reserves for India’s fuel-starved power sector
16/09/2014 11:37
According to Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit, there is no proposal either from India or his country for a meeting between Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif during the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York later this month. Addressing the interactive session on “Indo-Pak Economic Growth” organized by ASSOCHAM here, Mr. Basit said, “As of this moment I am not aware of any proposal in this regard”. While Prime Minister Modi will be in New York from September 26 to 29, Sharif is scheduled to be there from September 22 to 27. Though there is an overlapping of small period when both the leaders will be there, a meeting is unlikely given the frosty ties between the two countries. The two countries witnessed a war of words last month as India cancelled Foreign Secretary-level meeting after Pakistan went ahead with talks with the Kashmiri separatists despite India asking it to choose a "dialogue with India or talks with separatists". Abdul Basit further said that the new Indian government under leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modia has plan of action for the SAARC region as whole. “We hope that India under the new leadership would be able to realise its development agenda” as SAARC is like a “Mohalla” and it makes no sense for an individual country to grow like an island in the midst of poverty and illiteracy in the region. He extended Pakistan support in this regard. On energy cooperation, he said that there is big scope for India using coal reserves from Pakistan for its electricity generation. Pakistan has world’s 5th largest coal reserves. Besides, there are opportunities in mutual investment in power and natural gas. Mr. Basit said, he was in touch with the authorities of the two countries in this regard. He was also in close contact with a few private businesses which are keen to tap Pakistani’s coal reserves for India’s fuel-starved power sector
