FILE photo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold formal bilateral talks with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif today on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meet in Ufa in Russia.
Both the Indian and Pakistani foreign offices have confirmed that the talks will take place at 9:15 am. The two leaders
met informally at a dinner last night.
Sources have indicated to NDTV that the discussions are not necessarily a prelude to a resumption of the dialogue process between the two countries, a decision on which will take place after New Delhi gauges Islamabad's response in the talks today.
According to the Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah, "It has always been (Pakistan) Prime Minister's policy to seek cordial and cooperative ties with all neighbouring countries including India. It was in the pursuit of this objective that the Prime Minister would be meeting the Indian Prime Minister for a comprehensive exchange on all issues of common interest."
Sources have also indicated that PM Modi will, once again, strongly raise with Pakistan India's concerns on terror and that all outstanding issues will be brought to the table.
Just a day ahead of the talks, Pakistani forces violated ceasefire again at the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir in which
a BSF jawan was killed. This was the third ceasefire violation this week.
The official announcement of the talks comes after intense speculation for weeks on whether or not the two leaders would meet. Till a week ago, there was a sense that the two leaders would greet one another and have a quick chat in what is referred to as a "pull-aside" in diplomatic parlance. Since then, New Delhi has been keen to upgrade these talks to a full bilateral meeting of the two leaders.
Today's talks come at a time when Pakistan has warned India against any military operations on its soil along the lines of the one in Myanmar last month in which Indian Special Forces went across the border and destroyed two militant camps, killing as many as 50 rebels.
Mr Modi and Mr Sharif last met in Kathmandu in November, 2014 but did not have a proper bilateral meeting.
Prime Minister Modi then reached out to Mr Sharif by wishing him at the beginning of the holy month of Ramzan, a phone call where the Pakistani PM stressed the importance of peaceful bilateral ties between the countries.