PM Modi with Imran Khan

PM Modi, Imran Khan exchange pleasantries during SCO Summit in Bishkek

• This is the first such interaction between the two Prime Ministers.

Amid the deep chill in bilateral ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistan PM Imran Khan exchanged pleasantries on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on Friday, according to sources.

Modi exchanged usual pleasantries with Khan in the Leaders' Lounge at venue of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit here, they said.

It is also learnt that Khan congratulated Modi on his election victory during their first face-to-face interaction.
However, the sources said, the interaction did not amount to a meeting or a “pull-aside” and was just an exchange of pleasantries.

 A similar “exchange of pleasantries” had taken place in Bishkek last month when the former External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, was seen in photographs with her Pakistan counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

During his bilateral meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, PM Modi had reiterated India's stand that Pakistan should take concrete action against terror before talks can resume. China is Pakistan's "all-weather" ally.

Before PM Modi left for Bishkek, India had ruled out any bilateral meeting with Pakistan. India has said cross-border terror must stop and Pakistan must take action against terror groups operating from its soil before dialogues can begin.
 
Khan had also made a telephone call to Modi on May 26 and expressed his desire to work together for the betterment of people of the two countries. 

On his part, Modi said creating trust and an environment free of violence and terrorism was essential for fostering peace and prosperity in the region. 

This was the first such interaction between the two leaders amidst the chill in bilateral relations, triggered by the terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama in February in which 40 soldiers died.

Official talks between the two countries remain suspended due to terrorist attacks from groups in Pakistan.