Kasuri calls up Brajesh, hopes talks will go on

Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Tariq Aziz, who was one of the key architects of the Islamabad declaration, and Foreign Minister Kurshid Mehmood Kasuri called up Brajesh Mishra, Principal Secretary and National Security Advisor to outgoing Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee, and expressed the hope that the Congress-led government will move forward on the ongoing Indo-Pak dialogue.

It is learnt that Aziz and Kasuri called up on May 14, a day after the poll results, to bid Mishra goodbye and thank him for his efforts to improve Indo-Pak ties. Mishra, on his part, later spoke to US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and his UK counterpart, Sir Nigel Sheinwald. Mishra, while bidding adieu to Rice and Sheinwald, talked about the need to move forward on strategic partnerships with both countries.

Incidentally, US Assistant Secretary of State (South Asia) Christina Rocca has postponed her visit to India due to the politically fluid situation in New Delhi. Rocca apparently was supposed to arrive this week to exchange views on Indo-US relations with the newly formed Congress-led government.