There is a special pleasure in meeting an old friend you are fond of but
never got to meet a long time. When I accompanied MM to Pakistan in 1992,
it was my privilege to know Sartaj Aziz. He was then the Finance Minister.
A Persian-speaking Pathan, he has a lively mind. In Peshawar, he told me
about his plan to bring eletricity from Tajikistan through Afghanistan's
Wakhan corridor. In Lahore, he followed closely Manmohan Singh's budget
speech broadcast carried 'live' on Amritsar radio and gave me an instant
analysis. Later he presented me with a book he wrote about rural
development in China which I still keep on my shelf. Yesterday I saw him
again after 17 years and listened carefully to his analysis of the
political situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He is in Singapore on an
invitation from the Institute of South Asian Studies and is still an active
never got to meet a long time. When I accompanied MM to Pakistan in 1992,
it was my privilege to know Sartaj Aziz. He was then the Finance Minister.
A Persian-speaking Pathan, he has a lively mind. In Peshawar, he told me
about his plan to bring eletricity from Tajikistan through Afghanistan's
Wakhan corridor. In Lahore, he followed closely Manmohan Singh's budget
speech broadcast carried 'live' on Amritsar radio and gave me an instant
analysis. Later he presented me with a book he wrote about rural
development in China which I still keep on my shelf. Yesterday I saw him
again after 17 years and listened carefully to his analysis of the
political situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He is in Singapore on an
invitation from the Institute of South Asian Studies and is still an active
supporter of Nawaz Sharif.
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