Indian tycoon Sajjan Jindal meets PM Nawaz in Murree

Indian businessman and entrepreneur Sajjan Jindal made an unannounced visit to Pakistan and met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Sajjan Jindal, who is also said to be accompanied by other businessmen, met PM Nawaz Sharif for a personal meeting in Murree, where PM Nawaz Sharif had gone recently for a private trip.

According the sources, the participants discussed the relationship between the two countries during the meeting.

Jindal and PM Nawaz Sharif know each other on a personal level.

Earlier the two had also met during the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation' (SAARC) conference in Kathmandu.

The meeting could be a part of track II diplomacy, the sources added.

 Confirming the news, Nawaz Sharif’s daughter tweeted: “Mr. Jindal is an old friend of the Prime Minister. Nothing 'secret' about the meeting & should not be blown out of proportion. Thank you.”

Mr. Jindal is an old friend of the Prime Minister. Nothing 'secret' about the meeting & should not be blown out of proportion. Thank you.

— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) April 27, 2017

 

Speaking on the issue, Geo special correspondent Hamid Mir said that the timing of the meeting raises a lot of questions.

India and Pakistan are going through tense times; Indian security forces brutality is at all time high in Kashmir and the issue of Kulbushan Jadhav has not settled yet.

In this situation, it may be possible that Jindal did not come for business. If he did then it should be revealed what sort of business plans he has in Pakistan, if any.

“If the meeting was open then why was Murree the meeting point? Why wasn’t the meeting held in Islamabad,” he asked. 

Foreign Office was not even aware of the meeting. PM House needs to issue a statement to clarify why Jindal visited Pakistan.