India says PM Narendra Modi not to hold bilateral meeting with Imran Khan at SCO summit in Bishkek: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday clarified that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not hold any meeting with his Pakistan counterpart Imran Khan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek. While addressing a press conference, the MEA spokesperson, Raveesh Kumar asserted that there had been no bilateral meeting planned between PM Modi and PTI chief Imran Khan. The tensions between the two countries have gradually mounted ever since Pulwama terror attack, which claimed their lives of over 50 CRPF jawans.
India has made it clear that it would hold a meeting with the neighboring country only after it put a leash on the cross-border terrorism. The speculations that the two leaders will hold a meeting gaining momentum soon after PM Imran Khan called PM Modi to congratulate on his massive victory in the Lok Sabha elections 2019. PM Modi, in its return, called PM Khan and thanked him for his phone call and greetings. It has been decades since the two countries have held a bilateral meeting.
Meanwhile, when asked about Pakistan Foreign Secretary’s recent India visit, the MEA spokesperson noted that it was a personal meeting and there was no meeting scheduled with him. He added that the External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar would be visiting Bhutan from 7-8 June 2019. This would be Jaishankar’s first official visit as External Affairs meeting and it reflects the importance that India attaches to its bilateral relationship with Bhutan.
