Abdul Basit expresses hope in Indo-Pak ties

Borrowing from Narendra Modi's phraseology, Pakistan today said 'acche din aa rahe hain' for bilateral ties with India and expressed hope that the process of granting non-discriminatory market access to the country will begin after the resumption of talks between the two.

"Let the bilateral engagement resume. Our two Prime Ministers have met and all the issues were discussed and we hope that that things will be carried forward when the time comes," High Commissioner of Pakistan in India Abdul Basit told reporters here.

He was replying to a question on granting of MFN or NDMA status to India.

While speaking at the curtain raiser of 'Aalishan Pakistan: 2nd Pakistan Life-Style Exhibition', he said people of both the countries have given huge mandate to their respective leaders to create a better understanding between the two countries.

"I have no reason to doubt for a moment that acche din aa rahe hain (good days are approaching)," he said.

Modi had used the expression 'Ache Din Aane Wale Hain' as a poll slogan, and handsomely won the general elections.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was here last month to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Modi as Prime Minister (rpt) Prime Minister. The two leaders had also discussions on various issues.

Pakistan has decided to postpone the grant of NDMA status to India due to lack of consensus at home.

Bilateral trade talks have been suspended since last year following escalation in violence at the LoC. In 2012, Pakistan had committed itself to giving the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India but missed its own deadline of December 31, owing to domestic opposition.

Basit also said both the two Prime Ministers have articulated their shared vision of peace and development during their meeting. He, however, added that in the time of globalisation, the South Asian region was still stuck in an outdated narrative.