Still no final word over Modi meeting Sharif in Kathmandu

The 18th Saarc summit will get underway in Kathmandu on Wednesday but the air is still unclear about a possible meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the meet.

Updated on: Nov 24, 2014, 23:58:06 IST

Hindustan Times | By Utpal Parashar, Kathmandu

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The 18th Saarc summit will get underway in Kathmandu on Wednesday but the air is still unclear about a possible meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the meet.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj who landed in Kathmandu to take part in Tuesday’s meeting of Saarc council of ministers gave no clue on whether any meeting is in the offing.

“Wait till Tuesday for this issue,” was her brief reply to media persons at the Tribhuban International Airport on a query about a possible meeting between Modi and Sharif.

Pakistan’s advisor to the prime minister on foreign affairs and national security Sartaj Aziz indicated that his country would consider a meeting if the Indian side took the initiative.

“(There are) no plans yet. If she (Swaraj) requests, then I will,” Aziz said.

Aziz will represent Pakistan in Tuesday’s meeting of Saarc council of ministers. Meanwhile Nepal’s foreign minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey claimed that his country could play a role in thawing relations between the two neighbours.

“We will do our bit to ensure that a meeting takes place between Indian and Pakistani leaders. Our effort will be to provide a conducive environment for such an interaction,” he told News 24, a Nepali television channel.

Replying to a query on cancellation of Modi’s proposed trip to Janakpur, the birthplace of Sita, Swaraj said that it would be wrong to say that the visit was cancelled.

“The Prime Minister wanted to come to Janakpur, Lumbini and Muktinath and had expressed his desire to visit these places during his last trip but he couldn’t include it in his itinerary this time because of the parliament session,” she said, adding that the prime minister would surely pay a visit to the popular religious town during his next visit.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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