Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left today for the UN General Assembly in New York
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has officially confirmed a bilateral meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meet in New York despite a severe strain in ties.
"It is surprising, the PM has forgotten his own resolve," said the BJP, which has repeatedly asked New Delhi to boycott Pakistan after the August 6 killing of five Indian soldiers in a Pakistani ambush and a spurt in violence at the de facto border with Pakistan.
In a statement before leaving for the US, the PM said, "During my visit to New York, I also look forward to bilateral meetings with the leaders of some of our neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan." (
read full statement)
The PM-Nawaz Sharif meet is expected on Sunday.
Manmohan Singh's statement ended the last minute ambiguity that this meeting could be scrapped if the Pakistan PM made a controversial reference to Kashmir in his address to the UN General assembly. Mr Sharif is expected to speak at the UN a day before the Indian PM.
"The PM should have stuck to the statements he made after the 26/11 terror attacks," said BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, referring to the attacks in Mumbai blamed on Pakistan-based terrorists.
"PM meeting Nawaz Sharif will only encourages Pakistan to believe that India will always bend and talk to them, no matter how they hit India."
Tension between the estranged neighbours escalated after five Indian soldiers were killed in Kashmir along the Line of Control or LoC on August 6, an attack linked to the Pakistani army.
After that incident and a series of ceasefire violations at the LoC, the main opposition party, the BJP, had urged the Prime Minister not to hold talks with Mr Sharif unless Pakistan demonstrated some commitment to ending attacks in India.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid had said last month that he "agreed with the BJP, talks and terror don't go together".
In Parliament, Defence Minister AK Antony had warned Pakistan that its actions would have consequences on ties.
Pakistan has denied any role in the death of the five soldiers at Poonch. Since then, the parliaments of both countries have passed resolutions condemning each other.