PM hosts Iftar; Chidambaram chats with Pak envoy

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Iftar today provided an opportunity for Home Minister P Chidambaram to have an informal chat with Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Iftar on Wednesday provided an opportunity for Home Minister P Chidambaram to have an informal chat with Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik.

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Chidambaram walked up to Malik and were seen discussing something at the reception hosted at the Prime Minister's 7, Race Course Road residence.

Soon they were joined by Home Secretary GK Pillai and the three were together for about five minutes.

Details of the discussions could not be ascertained but possibly they talked about issues related to the two countries.

India and Pakistan currently discussing the possibility of a Pakistani Commission coming here to record the statements of the Mumbai magistrate before whom 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab gave his confessional statement.

The Iftar was attended by Vice President Hamid Ansari, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and senior BJP leader LK Advani besides a host of other important personalities.

Playing a good host, the Prime Minister went around and greeted the guests, who also included union ministers, leaders of Congress, BJP and Left, besides some senior officials and diplomats.

Singh, Ansari, Kumar, Gandhi and CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury sat on a single dining table, chatting and munching the delicacies.

There was a rainfall towards the fag end of the reception but it failed to dampen the mood of the gathering.