Modi-Sharif meeting has ‘conflict of interest’, says Imran Khan

Islamabad: Pakistan's opposition leader Imran Khan on Saturday asked Pakistan and India to engage in dialogue through institutional framework even as he termed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi a "conflict of interest".

Khan who welcomed the surprise visit of Modi to Lahore yesterday took to social micro-blogging website Twitter for a veiled swipe at the alleged involvement of an Indian businessman.

"Meetings of PMs through business associates undermine the detente process and raise questions of conflict of interest," he tweeted.

1. We welcome the thaw in Pak-India relations but to have a business associate arrange the 2 PMs mtgs has an underlying conflict of interest

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) December 26, 2015

"We welcome the thaw in Pak-India relations but to have a business associate arrange the two prime minister meeting has an underlying conflict of interest.

"Meeting of the two prime ministers, from secret Kathmandu one to Lahore one, must be through institutional frameworks with (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) MFA in the loop for sustainability," he said.

The cricketer-turned-politician was also critical of reports that Indian steel tycoon Sajjan Jindal could have been instrumental in the latest meeting after he reportedly arranged a secret meeting of the two in Kathmandu on the sidelines of the last SAARC summit.

Jindal was in Lahore when Modi landed there for stopover to see Sharif.

According to local media, Jindal has personal ties with Sharif and was invited for the marriage of Sharif's grand-daughter.

Modi stayed for over two hours in Lahore on his way back home from Afghanistan yesterday during which he held talks with Sharif at his Raiwind house.