PM wanted to go to Pak but surgery in way

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s wrist surgery at AIIMS today put paid to his plans of paying a brief visit to Pakistan and offer condol...

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s wrist surgery at AIIMS today put paid to his plans of paying a brief visit to Pakistan and offer condolences for the victims of the earthquake, which has already taken over 25,000 lives, left over 40,000 injured and countless homeless.

Sources said that Prime Minister had apparently discussed his Pakistan visit plans with his key advisors but it was nixed due to the numbing pain, caused by carpal tunnel syndrome, in his right hand on Wednesday.

The plan was to visit Islamabad for a few hours and offer personal sympathies to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Keen as the PM was to visit Islamabad, he even wanted to visit a hospital where the temblor victims were being given medical treatment.

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However, with Prime Minister’s right hand being bandaged, there is a strong move for UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to convey India’s deep sympathies to the Pakistani people. But plans are still to be firmed up before a final decision.

While Singh’s cast is likely to be removed in three days, the PM today cancelled his appointments and even his visits to Goa on Oct 15 and to Bangalore on Oct 21. Today, he cancelled a meeting with Charles Prince, Chairman and CEO of Citibank Global Corporate and Investment Bank, this morning. Prince met Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia.