Sharif is scheduled to have his maiden bilateral meeting with Modi on Tuesday. The Prime Minister will also call on President Pranab Mukherjee before returning home. Sharif's aides have been cautioning that no big announcements are expected after the meeting.
However, the paper noted that when Sharif lands in New Delhi, his hands will be strengthened as he will have the backing of not only the people of Pakistan, but all the major political parties and the security establishment which controls ties with India.
“Except for the fringe and ignorable elements outside the democratic process, like the Punjabi jihadis, especially the Jamaat-ud-Dawa's Hafiz Saeed who opposes the visit, everyone has rooted for Sharif to go into a meeting with Modi,” it said.
Also important for Sharif would be to get a commitment from Modi, known to think outside the box, that now was the time to restart the composite dialogue so that a series of uninterrupted talks could give a boost to bilateral relations, the paper said.
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