New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was in secret talks with Pakistani army chief Ashfaq Kiyani through an unofficial envoy ahead of the cricket diplomacy at Mohali, according to 'The Times' of London.
It said the back channel exercise that had been on for 10 months was aimed at ensuring the powerful Pakistani army's backing for the Indo-Pak peace process that had come to a halt after 26/11.
The report talks of an unofficial messenger seeking to test waters and see if Kayani's backing could be ensured to boost ties between the two countries. The Indian foreign office or the Prime Minister's Office has not commented on the report.
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08:03 AM, Apr 24, 2011
Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani padded up for cricket diplomacy and it appears to have worked. India's foreign secretary said the informal contact and conversation in the private box and over dinner has generated the Mohali spirit, a positive and encouraging spirit. ...
10:57 AM, Mar 31, 2011
Mohali: Mixing cricket with diplomacy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday held wide-ranging discussions with his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani when he favoured the need for an "atmosphere free of violence" in order to ensure thorough mobilisation of bilateral ties. At a dinner Singh hosted in honour of Gilani on the margins of the high-voltage Indo-Pak semi-final match, the Pakistani premier shared this sentiment, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told...
10:56 PM, Mar 30, 2011
Yuvraj Singh can move the nation not alone by his thunderous batting but also with his tweets! The ace Indian batsman tweeted saying,"Request all people in the stadium to inspire us by the singing the national anthem loudly Jai Hind good night." Yuvraj's tweet before the the crucial India vs Pakistan semifinal led to make 'Jai Hind' one of the top twitter trends. Indian tweeps from all across have been...
01:02 PM, Mar 30, 2011
New Delhi: Mixing cricket and diplomacy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will host his Pakistan counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday over dinner in the Mohali cricket stadium on the margins of the World Cup semi-finals between the two countries. An indication that the Congress party is also backing him in his latest peace initiative can be seen as Sonia Gandhi will also be witnessing the high-voltage cricket encounter possibly along...
08:28 PM, Mar 29, 2011
