London: External Affairs Minister S M
Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi
today shook hands on the sidelines of an international
conference on Afghanistan, but there was no meeting between
the two.
Coming face-to-face at the Summit hosted by British
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Krishna and Qureshi shook hands
and exchanged pleasantries. The two last met in New York on
the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in
September, 2009.
"We shook hands. We just said hello (to each other)
but no political dialogue," Qureshi told reporters at the end
of the summit.
Asked whether he would meet Krishna during his stay
here, he said: "I have no plans to meet Krishna. I had given
him a crisp proposal and roadmap for the future. He said he
will get back. He has not got back."
Qureshi said the Indian polity is "divided and
confused" on the issue of engaging with Pakistan.
"India is in a dilemma whether to engage with Pakistan
or shy away. Unfortunately there is a dichotomy in the public
stand of Indian Foreign policy which is different from the
private stand," he said.
The Foreign Minister also claimed that some "people in
India admit privately that the assistance provided by Pakistan
to India on 26/11 attacks are unprecedented. They even
acknowledge the dossiers (on the Mumbai strikes). There is a
lack of political agreement in India on foreign policy
(towards Pakistan)."
PTI
