COLOMBO, Nov 21: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz who is due in India on Tuesday will have a one-to-one meeting with his Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh the following day.
During the meeting he will do some 'straight-talking' on Kashmir and the Baglihar dam issues, it is learnt.
The prime minister is likely to remind his Indian counterpart about the Sept 24 joint Pakistan-India pledge to explore all possible options for the solution of the Kashmir dispute. In this context, President Pervez Musharraf's 'food for thought' on Kashmir may also be discussed.
The timing of the meeting acquires special significance against the backdrop of Indian prime minister's recent assertion that Kashmir was an integral part of India and there would be no redrawing of borders, and President Musharraf's subsequent statement that Pakistan would not unilaterally move from its historical position of holding a plebiscite in Kashmir unless India demonstrated flexibility.
According to sources, the prime minister would seek fresh assurances from the Indian leadership regarding its sincerity and commitment to finding a solution to the Kashmir issue that is acceptable to all three parties - Pakistan, India and the Kashmiris.
He would also reiterate the need to engage constructively and put in place a mechanism to explore what would be acceptable to all sides. The issue of Srinagar-Muzzafarabad bus service is also likely to figure in their discussions, the sources said.
In a brief chat with the media on his way to Colombo, the prime minister said during his stay in New Delhi he would meet all the APHC leaders at the Pakistan High Commission (PHC).
He disclosed that before meeting them together at the reception, he would have a separate session with each one. When he was asked if he would be carrying with him any specific proposals on Kashmir to India, his response was that he was going there to 'hear and tell'.
The sources said the prime minister, who had a detailed meeting with the president on Friday would deliver a tough message on the Baglihar dam issue. He is likely to inform the Indian leadership that New Delhi's delaying tactics and failure to fulfil its commitment of resolving the issue by a given date has compelled Pakistan to seek the World Bank intervention to settle it.
While no major breakthrough is expected at the meeting, it will indicate which way the wind blows on Kashmir and also give Pakistan some idea of how much flexibility India is willing to show on this issue.
This will be the first high-level political contact between Pakistan and India after President Musharraf's meeting with the Indian prime minister in New York on Sept 24 that ended on a very positive note.
