External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Saturday hosted a lunch for Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf but did not discuss issues like terrorism with him.
"This was a private visit. It was a pilgrimage (for Ashraf). This was not the occasion nor did I have the authority to discuss such issues," he told reporters after the lunch at Rambagh Palace Hotel in Jaipur.
He was replying to a question whether terrorism was discussed with his guest. "We have taken up such issues. We will do it in future. Today it was a private visit. There was no official talk. We will do it at the appropriate time," Khurshid said.
Khurshid said the lunch for Ashraf was hosted as a matter of courtesy and in keeping with the post he holds. He said the Ashraf has come on a pilgrimage and everything was being done in accordance with the purpose of the visit. "We agreed for his programme and everything was done in this backdrop," he said.
On opposition parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, questioning the need to welcome the Pakistan prime minister, Khurshid said, "They just have to look at their own history and they would know why.”
