India PM to meet Pakistani PM at UNGA

India™s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is to meet with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

“During my visit to New York, I … look forward to bilateral meetings with the leaders of some of our neighboring countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan,” Singh said in a statement, before leaving for the 68th session of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.

According to the official sources in India, Singh is expected to meet Sharif in New York at the Palace Hotel where Singh is staying, on September 29.

The meeting comes as the relations between the two countries have been strained following the killing of five Indian soldiers in an attack along the Line of Control (LoC) in the disputed Indian-controlled Kashmir on August 6.

New Delhi put the blame for the ambush on Pakistani army, though Islamabad has denied all allegations.

Kashmir lies at the heart of more than 60 years of hostility between India and Pakistan. Both neighbors claim the region in full but have partial control over it.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the upcoming meeting between the two neighbors, saying, œI would strongly welcome such a summit level meeting between the two leaders on the margins of the General Assembly.”

The UN chief also stressed that resolving the recent tension between New Delhi and Islamabad during the General Assembly was high on his agenda.

The Indian premier is also expected to hold talks with US President Barack Obama on September 27, before addressing the UN General Assembly, slated to be on September 28.

MM/PR