PTI
AMRITSAR
In the midst of heightened Indo-Pak tensions, Pakistani Prime Minister''s Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz arrived Saturday evening to attend the Heart of Asia conference amid speculation about whether the two sides will have bilateral talks on the sidelines of the conclave to break the ice in ties.
Hours after his arrival, Aziz attended a dinner where he exchanged pleasantries with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Aziz was among the eight foreign ministers of the participating countries in the Heart of Asia conference who called on Modi as a group.
Aziz was earlier scheduled to arrive here tomorrow but came a day early due to prevailing weather condition. Almost the entire northern India has been affected by thick fog for the last two days, delaying flights and train operations.
Aziz advanced his visit after he was informed about the weather condition, sources said.
There was no clarity on whether there will be a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the conference but the possibility of any such meeting appeared bleak.
Interestingly, in a goodwill gesture, Aziz sent a bouquet to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, extending his “sincere good wishes for her full and speedy recovery” from illness.
Swaraj, undergoing treatment for renal failure, is not attending the Heart of Asia conference and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will head the Indian delegation at the Ministerial deliberations.
Aziz, who arrived here on a special flight, was received at the airport by Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit.
