Former external affairs minister Natwar Singh has claimed that in 2013, during Nawaz Sharif's meeting with Manmohan Singh, the Pakistan Prime Minister bluntly said to his Indian counterpart that there was no use talking to him and they would prefer to talk to the next Prime Minister.
In 2013, there was a lot of speculation that Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif referred to Manmohan Singh as "dehati aurat" in front of journalists. Narendra Modi latched on to this information and described it as the "greatest insult" to the Prime Minister. Both the sides promptly denied this news and the matter was buried to rest. However, if Natwar Singh is to be believed, Nawaz Sharif was much more aggressive in front of Manmohan Singh, virtually undermining his authority. Natwar goes on to say that Manmohan Singh also made a gaffe in Sharm el-Sheikh during a meeting with Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in which he seemed to substantiate Pakistan's point of view on Balochistan for which he was roundly criticised back home.
According to Natwar Singh, the former Prime Minister didn't have any foreign policy. Natwar Singh believes that in 10 years, the Manmohan Singh government could actually achieve very little on the foreign policy front. Towards the end of his term, Manmohan Singh expressed an interest of going to Pakistan. The IFS officer turned politician Natwar says that Manmohan Singh's sudden wish was surprising. Apparently for ten years Manmohan Singh tried to go to Pakistan, but every time he planned a visit, some anti-India incident took place. Natwar Singh believes that Manmohan Singh's decade long tenure is unlikely to have any lasting legacy.
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