New Delhi: Just ahead of the ICC World Cup 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to heads of the participating SAARC nations and conveyed best wishes for the event.
Noting that five SAARC nations are playing and are excited about the World Cup, Modi said, "I am sure WC will celebrate sportsman spirit and will be a treat for sports lovers. Cricket connects people in our region and promotes goodwill. Hope players from SAARC region play with passion and bring laurels to the region," he said.
Setting aside the recent differences with Pakistan, the Prime Minister also spoke to his counterpart in the neighbouring country Nawaz Sharif. The two PMs during the phone call are believed to have bonded over the past matches between the two countries.
"Spoke to (Afghan) President Ashraf Ghani, (Bangladesh) Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and (Sri Lankan) President (Maithripala) Sirisena. Conveyed my best wishes for the Cricket World Cup," Modi tweeted.
Modi has also asked new Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar to go on a 'SAARC Yatra' to "further strengthen the ties".
Australia and New Zealand will host the 11th ICC Cricket World Cup starting tomorrow and India and Pakistan will face each other in their opening game on Sunday. The Prime Minister also tweeted, "Would be sending our new Foreign Secretary on a SAARC Yatra soon to further strengthen our ties."
Jaishankar's visit to Pakistan will be significant given that India had cancelled Foreign Secretary-level talks in August last year after the Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi held consultations with the Kashmiri separatists on the eve of the Indo-Pak talks.
Prime Minister's remarks came a day after Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit met Jaishankar on Thursday. The meeting was described as a courtesy call by the officials. "It was a very cordial meeting where both of them discussed the status of Indo-Pak ties," sources said.
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