Indian envoy discusses bilateral ties with PM Nawaz

The call, at 11:30 am India time, triggered a flurry of activities on the Christmas day that ended with Modi’s impromptu trip to Pakistan hours later that many describe as a diplomatic masterstroke.

Later that evening, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhary announced a meeting between him and his Indian counterpart would take place in mid-January.

Tensions run deep between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Earlier this month, the national security advisers of both countries met in Bangkok, paving the way for Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Pakistan for the Heart of Asia summit where she agreed to reopen dialogue with Pakistan, thereby resuming a process broken off since 2012.

Modi also became the only Indian prime minister to have visited the private residence of a Pakistani prime minister.

Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz has said that as per decision of the two prime ministers, Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan and India would meet either on January 14 or 15 to prepare a schedule for the “Comprehensive Dialogue”. He said the government was not hiding facts from the public, adding that the upward trajectory in bilateral relations was result of an effective diplomacy of Pakistan.

“Talks may be derailed by a terror attack”, said former Indian foreign secretary Lalit Mansingh.

But a series of setbacks followed after New Delhi declared a new “red line” for talks – that Pakistani officials and leaders would not meet Kashmiri separatists before any bilateral negotiations.

So far, the two governments have not confirmed the issues to be discussed at the FS-level talks.

“Chief of Army Staff will visit Kabul on December 27”. “Sharif flying in the same chopper with Modi was the biggest assurance that security would be top-notch”, a senior official told ET.

Stating that every youth associated with IITs, IIMs, central universities and NITs will be linked to this programme through liveconnectivity, Modi said the talent of our youth is not restricted to a few cities.

He said the improvement in relations between the two countries was significant to regional peace, stability and development.

New Delhi, Dec 27 The Congress today took a jibe at the Prime Minister over his ‘Narendra Modi Mobile App’, saying it will at least help him stay connected with problems of the farmer, poor, minorities and dalits in the country as he is busy all the time travelling across the world.

As Sharif nodded in agreement, the two expressed determination to not let adverse incidents disrupt such meetings, a source privy to the conversation between the two PMs told The Indian Express.