Why did Pak PM Gilani leave Saarc before curtains down?

November 11, 2011 18:34

Rediff.com's Prasanna Zore reporting from the Saarc summit at Maldives says that Pakistan PM Yousuf Raza Gilani left the just-concluded meet at the atoll of Addu 15 minutes before curtains officially came down.

Gilani left in a Pak airforce jet and while it is not odd for heads of state to leave either early or mid-way (Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai left early as well), Gilani's departure raised eyebrows because other heads of state fly the national airlines. PM Dr Manmohan Singh flies Air India 1, for instance.

There was speculation about Gilani's early departure in the context of the Indo-Pak bilateral talks that took place yesterday where Gilani thanked Dr Singh for access to the European Union market and India's support for a UNSC seat.

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