Blog From SAARC: Will Modi-Sharif Meet Separately?

(Nidhi Razdan is a senior editor with NDTV and the anchor of NDTV 24X7's prime-time show Left, Right and Centre.)

Will They, Won't They: Shadow of India-Pakistan Over SAARC
As the 18th SAARC Summit in Kathmandu gets underway tomorrow, tensions between India and Pakistan are threatening to overshadow everything else. Sources say the two Prime Ministers will certainly meet, since they will be in the same room for two days including an informal retreat on Thursday morning. But what shape their talks will take is not yet clear. In Nepal, there is visible exasperation with the drama that plays out over Indo-Pak ties. Nepal's Information and Communication Minister and government spokesman, Minendra Rijal, told NDTV that SAARC has been unable to realise its full potential as a grouping precisely because of the constant tension between India and Pakistan. He hoped the two leaders would meet to make "a new beginning". Over the next couple of days, as the guessing game continues, every word, every move and every action of the Indian and Pakistani delegations will be watched and analysed by the Indian media.

Unprecedented Security
Kathmandu has come to a virtual standstill as various Heads of government get ready to descend. A city that is known for its bad traffic has allowed cars with even and odd numbers on the roads separately over the last two days. A three-day holiday also begins today.

Modi's Popularity
PM Modi appears to be quite popular. People on the street say he will clean up India and help Nepal too. Mr Modi's second bilateral meeting with PM Koirala in less than six months has been welcomed strongly, with the government here seeing this as part of a new vision for the neighbourhood as articulated by Mr Modi.

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