NEW DELHI : A day after his inauguration as India’s 15th Prime Minister, Narendra Modi will hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif here on May 27.
The meeting is likely to touch upon outstanding issues between the two countries, although no fixed agenda is on the cards for the discussions, sources said.
The Pakistan Prime Minister who will attend Mr Modi’s swearing-in ceremony here on Monday, will be accompanied by his Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Foreign Secretary, Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs, Secretary to the Prime Minister and other senior officials.
He will also call on President Pranab Mukherjee and return to Islamabad on May 27 afternoon.
“According to the programme, the Pakistan Prime Minister will have a bilateral meeting with Mr Modi on the morning of May 27,” a senior official of the External Affairs Ministry said here.
This will be the first interaction between the two countries at the Prime Ministerial level after the formation of new Government in New Delhi where both leaders are expected to discuss ways to move ahead in bilateral relations.
Mr Modi had said in an interview recently that talks with Pakistan would be difficult to hold “amid sounds of gunfire”, implying that Pakistan must stop terrorism and border incursions for any meaningful dialogue with India.
Pakistan Muslim League(N) spokesman Siddique-ul-Farooq had said on May 22 both the Prime Ministers have an “economic agenda” and wanted to take the two countries forward and have peace in the entire region.
It is only in an atmosphere of peace that both countries could progress, he said. (AGENCIES)
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