Expect no miracle out of Aziz visit: Natwar

External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh today said his government is giving its ‘‘best shot’’ to take the India-Pakist...

External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh today said his government is giving its ‘‘best shot’’ to take the India-Pakistan dialogue forward but ‘‘no miracle’’ should be expected during Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz’s visit.

‘‘This (problem) has been continuing for the past 57 years. There could be no miracle. We are trying our best,’’ he told reporters after flagging off the ASEAN car rally here. Aziz would be here in his capacity as the outgoing SAARC Chairperson on November 23.

Singh once more clarified that Pakistan has not made any proposal for resolving the Kashmir issue on the basis of suggestions made by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf at an Iftar in Islamabad. But he was quick to add: ‘‘May be Aziz will bring it (such a formula) with him.’’

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India has given over 70 proposals as possible CBMs with Pakistan and Singh hoped discussions on taking these forward would figure during Aziz’s three-day visit. ‘‘We have given them many proposals. They have responded to some of them and hopefully their Prime Minister will come and discuss most of them during his visit,’’ Singh said.

On whether he was optimistic about Aziz’s visit, Singh said: ‘‘I don’t look at it in those terms. We are looking in terms of realism and we are giving it our best shot.’’

On cross-border terrorism in J-K, Singh said: ‘‘Yes, it has reduced recently but that has many reasons, including the climate. We hope that the efforts of the Pak government to stop it was also one of the reasons.’’

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