Aziz-Modi handshake sets off media frenzy

Indian PM asks about Nawaz’s health; adviser conveys good wishes

AMRITSAR: After months of war rhetoric and deadly border skirmishes, Indian and Pakistani officials exchanged niceties and set the media abuzz on Saturday.

With a broad smile on his face, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shook hands with Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz at a banquet he had hosted for the participants of the Heart of Asia conference at Radisson Blu Hotel in Amritsar.

The Indian premier also asked about the health of his Pakistani counterpart who had recently undergone open heart surgery in a London hospital. Aziz conveyed ‘good wishes’ to the Indian leader on behalf of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.



Contrary to Indian media reports, no actual talks took place during the banquet. Nonetheless, the customary handshake after months of belligerence and hostilities set off media frenzy in both countries.

Aziz reached India earlier than scheduled to avoid fog in the morning as a Pakistani diplomat had warned that poor visibility could delay dozens of flights to western Indian cities, including Amritsar. High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit received Aziz at the airport.

According to official sources, India has so far shown no willingness to hold dialogue on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia conference aimed at stabilising Afghanistan, while the Pakistani delegation, too, has not reached out to Indian officials.

Aziz will attend the conference, jointly chaired by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Prime Minister Modi on Sunday. Pakistan will share details of the assistance it will provide to Kabul for the development of different sectors and will also talk about the grants it will give to Afghanistan.



As many as 40 countries are attending the conference. Aziz is due to hold a news conference after the conference today (Sunday).

At his weekly news briefing, the Foreign Office spokesperson said Pakistan was attending the Amritsar conference because it was committed to contributing towards all efforts and initiatives aimed at bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan.

While Islamabad is open to any constructive engagement with Delhi on the fringes of the conference, officials said Pakistan decided to go to Amritsar to convey a clear message to the outside world that it was Delhi, not Islamabad, which was creating impediments in the way of regional peace.

President Ghani and Premier Modi will be meeting in Amritsar for the Heart of Asia conference. Officials said the two countries are likely to announce an air cargo service to help increase trade that both say is stymied because of their frayed political relations with Pakistan.

Officials say the focus of the air cargo service is to improve landlocked Afghanistan’s connectivity to key markets abroad and boost the growth prospects of its fruit and carpet industries while it battles a deadly Taliban insurgency.



Currently, Afghanistan depends on the port of Karachi for its foreign trade. It is allowed to send a limited amount of goods overland through Pakistan into India, but imports from India are not allowed along this route.

Afghan director general for macro fiscal policies Khalid Payenda said the potential for trade with India, the largest market in the region, was far greater than allowed by land and so the two countries had decided to use the air route.

“That would be air cargo between Afghanistan and India. We have a lot of potential for trade on both sides. On our side, it’s mostly fruit and dried fruit and potentially through India to other places for products like carpets and others.”

He said that a joint venture involving an Afghan and an Indian cargo firm would be set up and that the two governments were working to set up infrastructure at Kabul and Delhi airports.

An Indian government source attending the meeting in Amritsar said air cargo route details were still being worked out and could include Kandahar as a point of origin for shipping fruit directly to India.

Indian foreign ministry official Gopal Baglay, who oversees Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, said several proposals were being discussed to improve Afghanistan’s trade and transport links.  “There have been very many ideas on how to enhance connectivity, overcome current challenges and also expand the trade basket,” he said.

(WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM REUTERS)

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2016.