Arriving at Colombo for the SAARC summit on Friday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh probably has much more on his mind than simply handing over the chairmanship of SAARC to Sri Lanka.On top of his agenda will be a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday.
Top officials accompanying him confirmed that Dr Singh will take up the recent terror attacks in India with his Pakistani counterpart in an effort to stay engaged with Islamabad.
This despite Delhi's assessment that the Pakistan government is yet to assert its control over agencies like the ISI.
Pakistan foreign minister too is pinning a lot of hopes on that meeting.
Sources said while the attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul may not come up in the talks, the recent terror attacks on Bangalore and Ahmedabad are sure to figure in Saturday's meeting.
India's SAARC engagement may well have been overtaken again by tensions with Pakistan, but the Prime Minister also visited Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse to discuss bilateral issues including the harassment of Indian fishermen at the hands of the Sri Lankan navy.
SAARC is supposed to be a showpiece event for regional cooperation in South Asia but as it usually happens, tensions between India and Pakistan are likely to overshadow the summit beginning on Saturday.
Source by ndtv.com
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