External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj today met Home Minister Rajnath Singh, amid the uncertainty over the Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level talks scheduled in Islamabad on January 15 after the Pathankot terror attack.
According to official sources, the 20-minute one-on-one meeting was held on a request of Swaraj. However, offices of both Singh and Swaraj did not comment on the issues discussed between the two.
Sources indicated that the recent terrorist attack in Pathankot, where seven security personnel were killed, might have figured in the meeting.
All terror-related information and inputs about Pakistan- based terrorist groups are provided by the Home Ministry to the External Affairs Ministry whenever India-Pakistan meet to discuss bilateral issues.
In a clear message, India has linked the FS-level talks to Islamabad's "prompt and decisive" action in the Pathankot terror attack for which it has provided "actionable intelligence".
In a pre-dawn attack, a group of heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists attacked the Air Force base in Pathankot on January 2.
The process of resumption of talks was set in motion after a meeting between Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan in Paris on November 30 on the sidelines of Climate Change Conference.
The meet was followed by the NSAs of India and Pakistan meeting in Bangkok a week later following which the External Affairs Minister visited Pakistan to attend Heart of Asia Conference during which the two sides announced the resumption of talks under "Bilateral Comprehensive Dialogue" process.
In a surprise move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited Lahore on December 25 to greet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on his birthday in person.
Attacking successive governments in Kerala, Rajnath Singh
said it was 'painful' that a big contribution of the state's economy comes from NRKs, especially from the Gulf and sought to know why youth were unable to find employment in the state and do business.
He said from 1960 onwards, UDF and LDF have been ruling the state alternatively. There was no dearth of resources, but youths were not getting opportunities.
Singh said that though the monsoon hits Kerala first, the state depends on neighbouring states for vegetables and agriculture products.
Claiming that only BJP could put the state on the path of development, he demanded to know from those who have ruled the state why Kerala was backward. "Why do youth have to go to other countries in search of employment?. Here discussions everywhere is on corruption", he said.
The Union Home Minister said there is need to make the system transparent and to root out corruption.
