From Ajay Kaul
Ufa (Russia)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif will meet here tomorrow morning on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, an official confirmed today.

“It is confirmed. PM @narendramodi and PM Nawaz Sharif will have a bilateral meeting in Ufa tomorrow at 9.15 am on sidelines of SCO Summit,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted.

The confirmation came hours after Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said that the possibilities are always there that the two leaders could meet.

Modi and Sharif had last met in Kathmandu in November at the SAARC Summit where they did not have a bilateral meeting.

Earlier at the beginning of the holy month of Ramzan, Prime Minister Modi had called Sharif and extended his best wishes while stressing the need for having peaceful and bilateral ties.

During his telephonic conversation, Modi had also conveyed to his Pakistani counterpart India’s decision to release detained Pakistani fishermen on the occasion of Ramzan.

The call was seen by many as an attempt to reach out to Pakistan after leaders from both sides exchanged sharp comments after Modi’s critical remarks about Pakistan during his Bangladesh visit and in the wake of India’s military action in Myanmar.

Meanwhile in Islamabad, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said that the bilateral issues of importance will be discussed in the Modi-Sharif meeting.

“India has proposed a meeting and Pakistan has positively responded to it,” the spokesman said.

PTI