Pak PM Sharif calls up Modi, lauds rescue efforts in Nepal
K V Prasad
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 30
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today spoke to his Pakistan counterpart Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who had called to express condolences at the loss of lives in various parts of India due to the recent earthquake.
On his part, Prime Minister Modi suggested that SAARC countries should conduct regular joint exercises on disaster management, relief and rescue, an idea appreciated by PM Sharif, the Prime Minister’s Office said here.
Prime Minister Sharif appreciated India’s efforts in the rescue operations in Nepal, PMO said, adding that the two leaders also discussed unseasonal rain and its adverse impact on crops.
Interestingly, PM Sharif call came a day after reports from Islamabad told a Saudi Gazette that New Delhi did not respond to Islamabad’s desire for good relations, a promise he made to the people in Pakistan to work to improve ties with the neighbour.
India and Pakistan relations have swung from high to low during the last one year amid attempts by Track-II advocates to restart the stalled process of talks between the two countries. India had cancelled the scheduled Foreign Secretary-level talks last August after the Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi met separatist leaders from Jammu and Kashmir just ahead of the engagement.
Since then, Modi met Sharif during the SAARC Summit in Kathmandu last November and then sent Foreign Sectetary S. Jaishankar on a SAARC yatra, including to Islamabad. The move was seen as signaling a thaw relations and a possible movement forward.
