Pakistan has got the message that the Modi regime in New Delhi has brought in a new language of dialogue with Islamabad, sources well informed about the preparation for the Kathmandu meeting tell Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif are likely to meet on the sidelines of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, SAARC, summit scheduled on November 26-27 in Kathmandu, Nepal, a senior government source told Rediff.com
The meeting will, in some way, be restrictive in its scope, the source added.
Both prime ministers have agreed in principal to meet, but the issue of cross-border firing which has increased manifold in recent weeks is the bone of contention.
Modi, the source said, is concerned about the repeated violations of the ceasefire line by Pakistani forces and wants Sharif to address India's concerns.
The Indian side wants the final outcome of the Kathmandu meeting between two prime ministers to impact the violent activities at the border, the source pointed out. The assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir has made the unprovoked Pakistani firing on the Line of Control more pertinent.
After India cancelled foreign secretary-level talks, the question was which leader would blink first. The SAARC summit is a ready-made excuse for the two South Asian leaders to meet for the second time in six months. Modi and Sharif first met on May 26, soon after the Indian prime minister was sworn in, and the next day as well.
Modi's foreign tours have revealed his ambition and possible trajectory to play a part on the world stage. "The leader who represents 1.2 billion Indians deserves a certain level of respect and Modi will ensure that India gets it," the source told Rediff.com
The Indian side thinks the SAARC event is the most appropriate event to catch up with Pakistan because Modi will be speaking from a position of strength. If, in May, by inviting Sharif he showed the required pragmatism, Modi displayed that he is different from his predecessor Dr Manmohan Singh when he ordered the cancellation of foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan.
Nawaz Sharif is too weak domestically to bring anything substantive to the table. It will be a challenge for Modi to ask what Sharif can deliver without later getting into the Pakistan army's firing line.
The initiative with Pakistan had to come from the Indian side. As things stand today, a well-planned or structured meeting may not occur in Kathmandu, but there will be some connectivity between the two leaders.
If Modi decides to avoid little more than a handshake with Sharif, then he will not have an opportunity to engage Sharif in the near future.
In Kathmandu Modi will need to demonstrate statesmanship, because he has revealed in America his promise to think big on issues related to the region. If he carries forward his views on various international platforms, he will speak from a position of strength after India's more than assertive response against Pakistan's unprovoked firing at the LoC.
After the cancellation of foreign secretary-level talks, Pakistan got the message that the change of regime in New Delhi has brought in a new language of dialogue with Islamabad, say sources well informed about the preparation for the Kathmandu meeting.
Although officials are mum about the Modi-Sharif meeting, preparations are in the final stage to enable such an encounter.
Without mentioning any country, India's spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said there would be a "substantive bilateral component" at the SAARC summit in Kathmandu.
"Brick by brick we are working on the prime minister's schedule," Akbaruddin added. "Once the entire architecture is ready, we will let you know."
Modi will travel to Kathmandu on November 25, the day before the sixth anniversary of the horrific Mumbai attacks. He will be accompanied by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Modi will return to Delhi on November 27.
Since Parliament will be in session Modi has kept his visit short and will not travel to Janakapuri, Lumbini and Muktinath in Nepal.
In Kathmandu 12 years ago...
Image: Top: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on May 27, 2014.
Bottom: Modi, left, with Sharif after his swearing-in on May 26, 2014.
