PM Thapa leaves for Pakistan

January 2, 2004
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Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa Friday left for Pakistan to take part in the 12th SAARC Summit to be held in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad in January 4-6 this month.

Talking to journalists at Kathmandu airport before his departure, PM Thapa said Nepal would not hold bilateral talks in Pakistan.

“I will not hold talks related to our internal affairs on foreign land,” PM Thapa said. “Our talks will be focused on SAARC-related matters.”

He further said he would discuss the long-standing refugee issue with his Bhutanese counterpart at the sidelines of the SAARC Summit.

As there is no direct air link between Nepal and Pakistan, PM Thapa will fly to Pakistan via Bangkok, Thailand.

Nepal is the current chair of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). During the Summit, PM Thapa will hand over the chairmanship of SAARC to his Pakistani counterpart Jafarullah Jamali.