Aziz to come calling on Delhi next month

Despite the fact that he will be here for the SAARC context, sources said, bilateral issues will be discussed at length as plans are afoot for Aziz to meet a cross-section of the Indian political leadership.

But more importantly, it will be the first meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Aziz. Sources said this will provide an opportunity for both leaders to try and establish personal rapport given that the two have much in common. In fact, Aziz has openly talked of his regard for Singh whom he also considers his ‘‘economic guru’’.

While Singh has earned laurels for being the architect behind India’s economic revival in the early 1990s, Aziz has been associated with the banking world as an executive for over three decades. Having joined Citibank in 1969, Aziz climbed the corporate ladder steadily to become one of the vice-presidents of the bank in 1992.

For the first time, the two PMs will also have the chance to discuss the ongoing peace process and ways to take it forward. It’s learnt that the two leaders are expected to reach an understanding on when the foreign secretaries of both countries would meet to work out the schedule for the next round of discussions on the subjects in the composite dialogue.

New Delhi and Islamabad today announced eight sets of dates for meetings to discuss various CBMs. This includes the expert-level meeting on nuclear CBMs on December 14-15, followed by a similar meeting on conventional CBMs on December 15-16. An expert-level meeting will take place at New Delhi on December 7-8 to discuss all issues related to the commencement of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service. The Indian Coast Guards and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency will also meet here on December 3-4.