Modi meeting outcome better than expected: Sharif adviser

PAKISTAN, May 28 (agencies): Outcome of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's meeting with new Indian Premier Narendra Modi in New Delhi Tuesday was better than expected, Sharif's National Security and Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz said Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference Wednesday after Sharif and his delegation returned from the swearing-in ceremony of Modi as India's new prime minister, Aziz said the meeting between Sharif and Modi was not just a photo op, but its outcome proved better than anyone's expectations.
Aziz said the issues of cross-border terrorism and Kashmir were discussed but not substantially during the bilateral meeting Tuesday in New Delhi.
During the meeting, Modi also sought that the 26/11 Mumbai attacks case be expedited, a demand which Aziz described as not a new one from India.
The leaders of the two neighbouring countries agreed that terrorism was an issue of mutual concern and that they needed to address all conflicts to end the distrust between the two sides, Aziz said.
He also added that Sharif did not meet the Hurriyat leadership as it was a ceremonial visit to India.
Meanwhile: A major faction of the Pakistani Taliban on Wednesday announced it was splitting from the militant outfit following bloody clashes with a rival group since March.
Observers said the split was a victory for the Pakistani military's strategy of pitting militant factions against each other, while gaining the loyalty of key commanders.
Peace talks between the government and the Taliban that began earlier this year have stalled, with the military last week resorting to air strikes on militant hideouts killing at least 75 people.
The break-away faction belongs to the Mehsud tribe, widely considered the most important of the various groups that comprise the umbrella Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which has fought the government since 2007 to implement its version of Islamic Shariah law.
"We announce our defection from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, we have chosen our Khalid Mehsud as the new leader for South Waziristan," Azam Tariq, a spokesman for the breakaway group said.