The presence of steel tycoon Sajjan Jindal in Pakistan would seem to belie that the visit was impromptu, as has been billed.
Jindal is said to have been instrumental in setting up another meeting between Modi and Sharif, in November 2014 in Kathmandu during the SAARC summit.
Sajjan Jindal, brother of former Congress Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal, has ties with Sharif's family. He also has business relations with the Ittefaq Group of Industries, a Pakistani integrated steel producer with major operations in Punjab, which was founded by industrialist Muhammad Sharif, father of Nawaz Sharif.
Sajjan's JSW and Naveen's Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) are part of a consortium led by state-owned SAIL, along with Monnet Ispat and AFISCO (Afghan Iron), which was keen to obtain from Pakistan the “right of way” to transport iron ore by road from Hajigak iron ore deposits in the Bamian, Afghanistan, to Karachi.
From the Pakistani port, the ore was aimed to be shipped to western and southern parts of India. As per an agreement between India and Afghanistan in 2011, the Indian companies and AFISCO would construct a 1-million-tonne-a-year steel mill and develop the 1.8-billion-tonne iron-ore reserves at Hajigak, which boasts of good quality ore with over 60 per cent iron content. The plan has been stuck for long because of Taliban control of the Hajigak area, which is about 140 km west of Kabul.
When Sharif came to India for the swearing-in ceremony of the newly-elected National Democratic Alliance government in May 2014, he had attended a tea party hosted by Jindal. Sharif drew flak back home for attending the tea party, although this was largely ignored in India.
Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf party said that going to a steel magnate's house for tea, when he couldn't find time to meet the Hurriyat leaders, "reflected the misplaced priorities of Sharif".
The Congress party had alluded to the arrangement by Jindal when it criticised Modi's Lahore stopover, saying the visit was aimed at aiding a private business house.
The Indian government has denied any business interest in the PM’s ‘impromptu’ visit. — IANS
Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/