With just four days left for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s departure for the US, there is no clear word yet from the government on whether he will be meeting his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, in New York.
The PM leaves for the US on September 25 and will be in New York from September 27 to 30. Apart from attending the UN general Assembly session, he will also be having several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the UNGA. While external affairs minister Salman Khurshid said a final decision on the meeting will be taken by the PM, foreign secretary Sujatha Singh told reporters that his programme is still in the process of being firmed up.
Ms Sujatha Singh, when asked about the “positive” statements, quoted Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s remarks about “harsh realities” on the ground.
Ms Singh further said, “the harsh reality on the ground is that we continue to face acts of terrorism by groups operating from Pakistan and territories under the control of Pakistan”.
She added, “There are also many persons engaging in hostile propaganda against India, who continue to roam freely in Pakistan. Despite repeated commitments from the highest level in Pakistan and very positive statements, there is very little progress in efforts to punish those responsible for the Mumbai attacks. These are the harsh realities. So let us see what happens.”