Chandigarh, March 31 : Both the Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers discussed serious issues for at least 90 minutes inside the PCA stadium in Mohali, as batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar was taking singles and occasional fours to accumulate his 85 runs, reports the Mumbai newspaper DNA.
It was during the first 90 minutes of the semifinal when the two leaders were left alone that the Prime Minister raised various issues he had in mind.It was that interesting phase of the match when Sachin Tendulkar was teasing the Pakistani fielders with quite a few chances.
It was at that time that Singh got his opportunity to sound out Prime Minister Gilani and elicit his views on a number of pending issues.Singh left the venue a little after 4 pm before Yuvraj Singh was bowled by a Wahab Riaz yorker.
He spent the rest of the afternoon at Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh.Gilani, too, moved out of the VVIP box half-an-hour later and left for Taj Chandigarh where his accommodation had been arranged.Long before dinner began, the two leaders had already shared their thoughts.
The broadcasters, the report said, obliged this afternoon when the TV camera completely avoided the VVIP enclosure at the Punjab Cricket Association Ground.
Once the match began, the two leaders had enough time to themselves apart from applauding the odd boundary or the fall of a wicket.
It was only at the end of the match after the last Pakistani wicket had fallen that the cameras showed the two leaders seated next to each other.
Singh's was an abrupt move to invite the Pakistani leaders over for an informal round of talks.
There was criticism that the emphasis on diplomacy could play spoilsport and shift the focus away from the cricket match.
The PMO had been jittery about the informal dialogue receiving a more-than-necessary coverage by an intrusive media.
These wide-ranging conversations were not meant to accomplish anything more than that.
The conversations did not really achieve any major breakthrough. But could act as a catalyst and help strengthen the dialogue process. It is quite likely to be touted as a modest diplomatic triumph, says the DNA report.
