Lunch, basic diplomatic courtesies for Pakistan PM

When Asif Ali Zardari wanted to come to Ajmer in April last year, New Delhi turned it into a diplomatic opportunity and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hosted the Pakistan president in the capital over lunch, Jayanth Jacob reports.

When Asif Ali Zardari wanted to come to Ajmer in April last year, New Delhi turned it into a diplomatic opportunity and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hosted the Pakistan president in the capital over lunch.

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The weighty bilateral matters, including Pakistan president pushing hard to resolve the Siachen issue, came up and the eclectic lunch menu included Goshtaba, barra kabab, dosa, avail and phirni and sandesh.

But Saturday will offer no such opportunity when Pakistan PM Raja Parvez Ashraf visits the famous shrine of Khawaja Moinuddin Chishty in Ajmer, barring basic diplomatic courtesies and a sumptuous lunch in his honour by external affairs minister Salman Khurshid.

The Pakistan leader will be traveling with his family members and officials and will have no substantial bilateral agenda. With the resumed dialogue process not making much progress and polls looming in Pakistan soon and in India a early next year, its doesn’t seem to be enough political capital to expend on the complex ties between the neighbours.

And the flare-up across the Line of Control in January has also hit the dialogue process and proved India-Pakistan dialogue is always prone to accidents.

Slain Soldier’s kin slam Pak PM’s visit

Agra: The relatives and family of Lance Nayak Hemraj Singh, who was beheaded by Pakistani soldiers, have opposed the Pakistan PM’s visit and have objected hospitality being extended to them. They said the Indian government should talk tough and held that such visit of Pakistani PM is an ‘insult’ to the martyrdom of Hemraj who was killed by the Pakistan Army.