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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to visit Pakistan only after 26/ 11 plotters punished: Government sources.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will visit Islamabad only after the seven Lashkar-e-Tayyeba ( LeT) terrorists in jail in Pakistan for the 26/ 11 attacks are convicted.
Government sources said though the Prime Minister has 'in-principle' agreed to pay a visit to Pakistan in future, India will wait for the conviction of the seven LeT terrorists being tried in Pakistan.
Clarifying his stand on the invitation extended to him by Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani during the SAARC summit in Maldives, Singh had told reporters on Saturday that his visit to Pakistan would happen only when Pakistan took solid steps against crossborder terror.
"Whenever the Pakistani Prime Minister has met me, he has invited me to undertake the visit. But I have also said that the right moment to visit Pakistan will be if solid steps are taken (by Pakistan against terrorism). When time comes, I will visit," Singh told reporters on his way back from Maldives.
Taj Attack
Seven LeT terrorists are facing trial in Pakistan for their involvement in 26/ 11 attacks.
Among the seven LeT terrorists facing trial in Pakistan are LeT commander, Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi and the key operative in the 26/ 11 plot, Zarar Shah.
Gilani, who came to Mohali to watch the Cricket World cup semifinal match in March, had then invited Singh to pay a visit to Pakistan.
Gilani repeated his invite on a rather emotional note in Maldives this time, saying a visit to Pakistan would also give Singh the opportunity to see his ancestral village, Gah in Chakwal district, where he was born in 1932.
Atal Bihari Vajyapee was the last Indian Prime Minister to visit Pakistan, in 2004 when he went for the SAARC summit there.
Of late, the Pakistan government has been trying to bridge the trust deficit with India.
Last year, home minister P. Chidambaram and foreign minister S. M. Krishna paid visits to Pakistan.
A series of bilateral meetings starting with the commerce secretaries' dialogue on Monday and the home secretaries' dialogue in the third week of December is expected to yield positive outcomes.
This will culminate in foreign minister Krishna's visit to Pakistan around mid-2012 to meet his counterpart, Hina Rabbani Khar. "The visit of the Indian Prime Minister can only take place after the foreign ministers meeting," a top source said.
The degree of consensus and deliverables achieved during these bilateral meetings, especially the home secretaries' dialogue, will be a factor determining the timing of the PM's visit, sources said.
Earlier, foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai had said Singh "certainly looked forward" to visiting Pakistan and both countries would decide this by mutual consultation.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to visit Pakistan only after 26/ 11 26/ 11 plotters punished: Government sources : North News - India Today
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will visit Islamabad only after the seven Lashkar-e-Tayyeba ( LeT) terrorists in jail in Pakistan for the 26/ 11 attacks are convicted.
Government sources said though the Prime Minister has 'in-principle' agreed to pay a visit to Pakistan in future, India will wait for the conviction of the seven LeT terrorists being tried in Pakistan.
Clarifying his stand on the invitation extended to him by Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani during the SAARC summit in Maldives, Singh had told reporters on Saturday that his visit to Pakistan would happen only when Pakistan took solid steps against crossborder terror.
"Whenever the Pakistani Prime Minister has met me, he has invited me to undertake the visit. But I have also said that the right moment to visit Pakistan will be if solid steps are taken (by Pakistan against terrorism). When time comes, I will visit," Singh told reporters on his way back from Maldives.
Taj Attack
Seven LeT terrorists are facing trial in Pakistan for their involvement in 26/ 11 attacks.
Among the seven LeT terrorists facing trial in Pakistan are LeT commander, Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi and the key operative in the 26/ 11 plot, Zarar Shah.
Gilani, who came to Mohali to watch the Cricket World cup semifinal match in March, had then invited Singh to pay a visit to Pakistan.
Gilani repeated his invite on a rather emotional note in Maldives this time, saying a visit to Pakistan would also give Singh the opportunity to see his ancestral village, Gah in Chakwal district, where he was born in 1932.
Atal Bihari Vajyapee was the last Indian Prime Minister to visit Pakistan, in 2004 when he went for the SAARC summit there.
Of late, the Pakistan government has been trying to bridge the trust deficit with India.
Last year, home minister P. Chidambaram and foreign minister S. M. Krishna paid visits to Pakistan.
A series of bilateral meetings starting with the commerce secretaries' dialogue on Monday and the home secretaries' dialogue in the third week of December is expected to yield positive outcomes.
This will culminate in foreign minister Krishna's visit to Pakistan around mid-2012 to meet his counterpart, Hina Rabbani Khar. "The visit of the Indian Prime Minister can only take place after the foreign ministers meeting," a top source said.
The degree of consensus and deliverables achieved during these bilateral meetings, especially the home secretaries' dialogue, will be a factor determining the timing of the PM's visit, sources said.
Earlier, foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai had said Singh "certainly looked forward" to visiting Pakistan and both countries would decide this by mutual consultation.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to visit Pakistan only after 26/ 11 26/ 11 plotters punished: Government sources : North News - India Today
