Sharif, Modi likely to meet in Russia

Islamabad, July 6 

Pakistan today said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will hold “important bilateral meetings” on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Russia this week but did not specify whether he will have an interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sharif will attend the 15th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Ufa, Russia, on July 9-10, the Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement. “The Prime Minister will also hold important bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the SCO Summit,” it said.

A Pakistani official on condition of anonymity said the Sharif-Modi meeting was likely to take place but refused to give details.

Last week, Pakistan had said no formal request was made by either side for a meeting but such interactions often take place on the sidelines of multilateral fora. “No side has contacted the other for a meeting so far. However, as you would be aware, in any multilateral setting, meetings among Heads of State and Government is a normal feature,” Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah had said when asked about the possibility of a Sharif-Modi meeting in Russia.

Pakistan and India were involved in a war of words recently with leaders from both sides exchanging sharp comments after Prime Minister Modi’s critical remarks about Pakistan during his Dhaka visit last month and in the wake of India’s military action in Myanmar. Modi had called up Sharif last month to greet him on the holy month of Ramzan. — PTI