Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 7

Even as some signs of thaw showed on Wednesday in Indo-Pak ties with acceptance on of humanitarian proposals related to prisoners in each other’s custody, there is no sign yet of formal talks.India is still awaiting a reply to the invitation sent to Muhammad Pervaiz Malik, the Commerce and Textile Minister of Pakistan, to attend an informal WTO (World Trade Organisation) Ministerial meeting in Delhi scheduled on March 19 and 20.Official sources also told The Tribune that Minister Suresh Prabhu had sought time slots from his counterparts of the invited countries for a telephonic conversation to personally extend his invitation. He had suggested the first week of March for the conversation with Malik but Islamabad did not revert and the scheduled call did not materialise.  Recently, Pakistan Commerce Ministry spokesperson Muhammad Ashraf rejected Indian media reports of Malik’s confirmed presence at the meeting. Speaking to Pakistani media, Ashraf said, “No such decision has been taken in this regard.” India and Pakistan though have maintained channels of communication with National Security Advisers on both sides being in touch. Ajit Doval has had at least four hushed meetings with counterpart Nasser Janjua in Russia, Thailand, France with the latest meeting in Bangkok late December last year.