Visit of President Zardari of Pakistan

Dubbed as ‘Dargah Diplomacy’, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari’s day-long private visit to India on April 8, 2012, to offer prayers at the Ajmer Sharif, did help the two South Asian neighbours reduce mutual tension and consider practical ways to speedily settle some of the less contentious issues such as Sir Creek and Siachen.

At his one-on-one meeting with Zardari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, however, made it a point to highlight the issue of terrorism upfront and unequivocally told the Pakistani leader that action must be initiated against JuD chief Hafiz Saeed and other perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attack.

Reflecting the view of Islamabad, the Pakistan President said the issue of Hafiz Saeed, on whose head the US recently declared a bounty of $10 million, needed to be discussed between the Home/Interior secretaries of the two countries, who would meet shortly in Islamabad. He also stated that there were legal processes in Pakistan without going through which the civilian government could not move against the masterminds of the Mumbai attack.

But for the first time perhaps, Islamabad indicated that it was seriously looking at the India-China model of bilateral relations, wherein the two countries have put contentious issue on the backburner and made significant gains in their trade and commercial ties.

There was also a mention of the liberalised visa regime that the two countries desire to usher in. The two leaders observed that an accord could be signed when the Home/ Interior secretaries meet.

After the talks, the Prime Minister hosted lunch in honour of his guest and his delegation. Zardari and his entourage later left for Jaipur on way to Ajmer, where President Zarsari offered prayers at the historic 13th century Dargah of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, after which a $1 million donation for the shrine was announced.