Pak. Minister meets PM

By C. Raja Mohan

NEW DELHI, AUG. 23. The Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, today received the visiting Minister of Commerce from Pakistan, Mr. Abdul Razzak Dawood. This is the first contact at the political level between the two countries since the Agra summit last month.

Mr. Dawood was here to attend a ministerial conference of the SAARC to discuss global trade issues. He called on the Prime Minister along with other Ministerial colleagues from the SAARC. Later, the Prime Minister had a brief but separate interaction with Mr. Dawood. Informed sources said that Mr. Dawood conveyed good wishes from the President of Pakistan, Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Mr. Vajpayee reciprocated the sentiment.

The sources said the atmosphere of the meeting was positive. There was no confirmation, however, of the possibility of a meeting between the two leaders in New York next month.

But the very fact that Mr. Vajpayee receive Mr. Dawood is being seen here as a significant indication from India that it wants to continue high-level engagement with Pakistan.

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