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Pakistan PM felt 'belittled' in India: Report

June 06, 2014 16:39 IST

Pakistan Premier Nawaz Sharif is "not too happy" with the way India handled his visit to New Delhi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi as the prime minister, a media report claimed on Friday quoting a unnamed leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N party.

A senior PML-N member told Dawn News that Sharif felt belittled when there was no joint press conference after the one-on-one meeting between the two prime ministers.

Short of that, Prime Minister Sharif's delegation was expecting a joint communique, but none was issued and instead New Delhi unilaterally released a press statement, which did not carry Islamabad's stance, the report said.

"Sharif is not too happy at his reception in India during his visit there to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Narendra Modi," the report said citing his party colleague.

India's statement had only a passing reference to Sharif and did not appropriately acknowledge the importance of his presence, the PML-N member reportedly said.

The "abrupt and inadequate" press release by New Delhi, he claimed, forced Sharif to hold a press conference of his own where he read out a carefully worded statement so that "whatever was achieved by the visit might not go waste".

The PML-N member said the Pakistan government was now pinning its hopes on secretary-level talks -- agreed upon by Pakistan and India during Sharif's visit -- for some breakthrough in improving relations with India.

Image: Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif

Sajjad Hussain