Zardari wants only lunch & not Hafiz Saeed on menu

Islamabad, Apr 7: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday said he doesn’t expect Hafiz Saeed to be the focus during his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday.

Mr. Zardari is making a three-hour stopover here on Sunday and will have a one-on-one meeting with Dr. Singh before flying to Ajmer to pay obeisance at the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.

No aides will be present from either side at the meeting to be held at Dr. Singh’s official Race Course Road residence followed by lunch to be attended by select guests on both sides.

During his day-long trip, Mr. Zardari will be accompanied by his 23-year-old son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who took over the reins of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) after the death of his mother Benazir Bhutto in 2007, Interior Minister Rahman Malik, Foreign Secretary, senior officers of Presidency and media.

“Though there is no structured agenda but the leaders are expected to focus on bilateral issues,” officials sources said. Ahead of the visit both sides had made it clear that the two leaders will talk about issues of mutual concern.

PTI