Modi, his team travelled to Pakistan with a valid visa, immigration process was followed, claims Sartaj Aziz
Modi, his team travelled to Pakistan with a valid visa, immigration process was followed, claims Sartaj Aziz
Aziz said the visit of Modi was a goodwill visit and it has been welcomed by majority of people in Pakistan and India and the international community.

Islamabad: Amid reports questioning the Pakistani visa of Narendra Modi for his pit-stop trip, Pak Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz dispelled the impression that the Prime Minister's entourage visited Lahore without any visa. "Modi and 11 of his personal staff members were given a 72-hour visa, and the full immigration process was followed in this regard," he said.

"Rest of the dignitaries who were part of the entourage stayed inside the airport and no foreigner was allowed to move out without a valid visa,"he said.

Aziz said the visit of Modi was a goodwill visit and it has been welcomed by majority of people in Pakistan and India and the international community.

He said now the two leaders have met at least five times and the warmth of relations created by the Lahore meeting would hopefully have an impact on the formal dialogue.

Responding to a point raised by leader of the opposition Aitzaz Ahsan, Aziz said no secret meeting was held between the prime ministers of India and Pakistan at Kathmandu in 2014.

Replying to points raised by other members, Aziz said "India changed its hostile attitude towards Pakistan because of our constructive diplomacy, international pressure and domestic lobbies in India".

The foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan will meet on January 14-15 to prepare a schedule of meeting for the comprehensive dialogue, Aziz said, though he cautioned against "unrealistic expectations" from the talks.

Aziz made a policy statement in the Senate regarding the short visit of Narendra Modi to Pakistan on December 25.

"The foreign secretaries would meet on January 14-15 and draw up a map for the next six months for talks on 10 identified subjects," he said. He said the dialogue process is challenging as it involves difficult decisions and important issues.

He also cautioned against unrealistic expectations from the dialogue process and said there would be progress on some issues soon while it will take time for progress on others.

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