File Photo: PM Modi with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif at the SAARC Summit in Kathmandu (Reuters)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif will meet in Ufa tomorrow morning on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, an official confirmed today.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson 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.
Mr Modi and Mr 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 Mr Sharif and extended his best wishes while stressing the need for having peaceful and bilateral ties.
During his telephonic conversation, Mr 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 Mr Modi's critical remarks about Pakistan during his Bangladesh visit and in the wake of India's military action in Myanmar.