Shatrughan Sinha Meets Pakistan President Arif Alvi, talks about Kashmir situation

Both Arif Alvi and Shatrughan Sinha agreed that there was a strong need to work for the promotion of peace in the subcontinent, the report added.

Islamabad: 

Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha met Pakistan President Arif Alvi in Lahore on Saturday where the two leaders discussed the importance of building peace bridges across the border, the president of Pakistan said in a tweet.

The actor-turned-politician, who is in Pakistan to attend a wedding, met the Pakistan president at the Governor House, and the two leaders discussed Kashmir among other matters of interest, news agency PTI reported, quoting a statement by Mr Alvi’s office.

Both Mr Alvi and Mr Sinha agreed that there was a strong need to work for the promotion of peace in the subcontinent, the report added.

According to Mr Alvi’s tweet, Shatrughan Sinha endorsed concerns of the Pakistan president about the restrictions in Kashmir, imposed since August last year when the centre ended the special status of Jammu and Kashmir granted under Article 370 of the constitution and bifurcated the state into two union territories.

The detention of the political leaders of the Kashmir valley was part of a series of restrictions placed on Jammu and Kashmir since August, which the centre said were precautionary measures. These restrictions, the centre had said, would be lifted in phases as the situation normalises.

Shatrughan Sinha, a former MP and union minister, attended a wedding function in Lahore on the invitation of Pakistani businessman Mian Asad Ahsan.

Mr Sinha said in a tweet earlier in the day that his was a “purely a personal visit” and there was “nothing official, nor political about it”.