Foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan to meet on January 15

Aides say the meeting was arranged directly between the two prime ministers on just a few hours’ notice when Modi called to wish 66-year-old Sharif a happy birthday.

Modi himself said after returning to New Delhi that he was touched by Sharif’s decision to personally welcome him at Lahore airport – and see him off. It was an ice-breaking visit, he said.

“It is the right step in the right direction”, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said from his hospital bed in Delhi where he is admitted. On this, Sharif said, “why not this is your house”.

Referring to the direct benefit scheme for LPG subsidy, Modi said 15 crore people are benefitting from it and that the scheme “Pehal” has made it to the Guiness Book of World Records. The leaders have met at worldwide events, most recently in Paris during the global climate change talks, that finally led to a visit by India’s foreign minister to Islamabad this month.

During the meeting, the two secretaries will discuss modalities and other schedule-related aspects to carry forward the dialogue which was announced during the visit of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to Islamabad earlier this month.

Previous attempts to resume talks have been postponed time after time, mostly due to the Indian government’s insistence that the focus of discussion must be, first and foremost, about terrorism. The onus is of course on Pakistani leaders to ensure that terrorists do not disrupt the positive momentum, so Indian and Pakistani officials can continue with their plans to revive a comprehensive dialogue. In fact, in the first year of his term, 500 cease-fire violations were recorded on the LoC and WB, the objective appearing to be to raise the threshold of pain for the ordinary Pakistani citizen residing in the area in order to discourage infiltration into Indian-held Kashmir.

Pakistan and India are important countries in South Asia.

“There is better division of labour”.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party boss Imran Khan additionally invited Mr. Modi’s trip and said it will enhance ties between the two nations.

He said there was a need to understand each other’s concerns.

A second member of Sharif’s cabinet said the same of Modi. “By reaching Pakistan all of a sudden Modi has proved that he is a PM with 56-inch chest”.

Inviting Mr. Modi’s visit, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has said that it would accommodating for peace and dependability in the area. However, a senior Pakistan official told AFP that security had been planned days in advance. Modi too showed warmth, also touched the feet of Nawaz Sharif’s mother taking her blessings.