New Delhi, April 24 – The saber rattling notwithstanding, back channel contacts between the BJP and Islamabad have been established.
Headlines Today can confirm that a Washington-based sympathizer of the BJP Jitendra Kumar travelled to Islamabad and met Sartaz Aziz, (pic) the Pakistan Governments Special Advisor on Foreign Affairs and the Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aziz Choudhry . The luncheon meeting to ok place in Islamabad on the April 4.
Jitendra Kumar is a Washington based Energy and Power consultant and according to sources he is said to have briefed the BJP leadership especially its Prime Ministerial candidate Mr Narendra Modi about his interaction in Islamabad.
He is also likely to make a presentation to the BJP leadership. Significantly this is the first back channel contact between the two sides and indicates the BJP’s willingness to do business with Pakistan.
The BJP has been extremely critical of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s attempts to normalize relations with Pakistan, but with the party now within smelling distance of coming to power it realizes that its public posturing notwithstanding it will have to explore the possibilities of normalizing relations with Pakistan.
Pakistan too has indicated a willingness to do business with Narendra Modi and its High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit confirmed on Wednesday that his government was prepared to work with whoever is elected as the country’s next Prime Minister.
In fact, a section of the Pakistani establishment is of the view that it might be easier to do business with the BJP because it is better placed to take relations forward than the Congress party.
Senior functionaries in the Pakistan government have been disappointed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s reluctance to take some tough decisions with regards to Indo Pak relations. Kumar Flew into Pakistan from the United States on the April 3 and spent three days there before crossing over to India via the land border at Wagah.
According to sources, Jitendra Kumar had a fairly comprehensive exchange of views with Sartaz Aziz and the foreign secretary. He also raised the question of the safety and security of Hindus in that country and urged Pakistan to repair and renovate Hindu temples in the country.
-INDIA TODAY
