Islamabad, June 21: Just as New Delhi was getting used to the idea that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s next bilateral meeting with Pakistan on the sidelines of the NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) summit in Egypt would be with Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and not as expected with President Asif Ali Zardari, here is another surprise.
Mr. Gilani has said he is undecided about going to Sharm-al-Shaikh despite an earlier announcement by the government that he would lead the delegation to the summit.
Asked by reporters during his visit to Peshawar on Friday about his meeting with Dr. Singh on the sidelines of the summit, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported that “the Prime Minister said he has not yet decided to attend the summit, therefore the question of meeting Manmohan Singh does not arise at this stage.”
Foreign Office announcement
The Foreign Office had earlier this week announced that Prime Minister Gilani would represent Pakistan at the NAM summit in July.
The announcement was unexpected as after their meeting in the Russian town of Yekaterinburg, Mr. Zardari and Dr. Singh decided they would meet again at the NAM summit to “take stock” of a meeting between their Foreign Secretaries before then.
It led to speculation that the decision to send Mr. Gilani had been taken after Dr. Singh’s blunt opening line to Mr. Zardari at their meeting in Russia, delivered in front of journalists, that he had a “limited mandate” to tell him that Pakistan should not allow its territory to be used for terrorist attacks against India.
Unaware of context
But Mr. Gilani’s latest remark has left the Foreign Office puzzled. Contacted by The Hindu, spokesman Abdul Basit said the statement was “not to his knowledge,” and he was unaware of the context in which it might have been made.
“The decision has already been taken that the Prime Minister will lead the delegation, and as far as we know, he is leading the delegation,” Mr. Basit said.
Farahtullah Babar, the presidential spokesman, also expressed surprise at Mr. Gilani’s remark, and said he would have to find out about it.
“I know the President is definitely not going,” he said.
Back in Pakistan
The presidential party has just arrived back in Pakistan after its Russia-Europe trip.
Asked if Mr. Zardari was miffed by what was seen as a public rebuke to him by Dr. Singh at their meeting in Russia and that was the reason for his not going to NAM, the presidential spokesman laughed it off.
The decision that Mr. Zardari would not go to the summit predated his meeting with Dr. Singh by at least two weeks, Mr. Babar said.
He mentioned that the media unit at the presidency had been asked in the first week of June to draw up a list of journalists who would accompany Mr. Zardari to the NAM summit and send their names for early registration.
“But we were told right then not to proceed with it as it was decided that President will not go.”
“It was my mistake”
When it was pointed out to Mr. Babar that it was in his statement to the press after the Yekatrinburg meeting that “the two leaders will meet again” on the sidelines of the NAM summit, the spokesman said large-heartedly that it was his mistake, and he should have used the phrase “political leadership” or “leaders of the two countries” instead.
–Agencies