The brief Modi-Imran encounter in Bishkek didn’t break any ice and the room for dialogue between the neighbours is restricted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanging pleasantries with his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek is anything but thawing of ice between the sparring neighbours.
India has sent a clear signal to Pakistan in Bishkek that “it is neither ready for talks nor is it willing to soften its stance” in the near future unless Pakistan is able to prove that it has indeed stopped sponsoring terror in its country, top Indian sources told ThePrint.
Friday’s brief encounter between the two prime ministers was the first time the two leaders came face-to-face after Khan’s election as Pakistan’s prime minister last year and Modi himself returned to power for a second term last month.
The leaders, the sources said, crossed each other’s paths several times during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit meeting. But neither made an effort to break the ice.
The SCO summit took place in the Kyrgyz capital on 13-14 June. Both India and Pakistan are members of the China-led group since 2017.
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