Rehman Malik to meet PM Manmohan Singh; may discuss 26/11, Sir Creek issue

New Delhi: Pakistan's Interior Minister, who is in country for a three day visit, will call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday, his second day of the trip, but will not hold a meeting with United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi. There has been no agenda set for the meeting with prime minister officially, but reports suggest that the two leaders may talk on the Sir Creek issue, apart from the 26/11 case.

The Ministry of External Affairs turned down the desire of the Pakistani side for a meeting with Sonia, the sources said. They added the Prime Minister's office had agreed to a morning meeting with Malik after a request was made for the same by the Pakistani authorities through diplomatic channels. The sources said meetings with the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon are also being fixed at the request of Malik for Saturday.

Malik, who is in India with his wife and a delegation which includes officials from Federal Investigating Agency, had a one-to-one meeting with Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde. The FIA officials are likely to hold separate meetings with National Investigation Agency and Central Bureau of Investigation officials during which the issue of pumping Fake Indian Currency Notes into India from Pakistan, smuggling of narcotics will be discussed.

External Affairs Ministry has turned down the Pakistani request for a meeting between Sonia Gandhi and Malik.

Malik has already created controversy, one for his rhetoric on arrest of Hafiz Saeed and another on his remark on Kargil martyr Captain Saurabh Kalia. Rehman angered the Kalia's family by saying that he was unsure if the captain was killed by a Pakistani bullet or the weather. Malik plans to return on the early morning of December 16.

(With Additional Inputs from PTI)

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