Putting to rest rumours of a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek on 13-14 June, the MEA on Thursday, 6 June, said "no meeting has been planned".
Ministry of External Affairs' spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, "To the best of my knowledge, no meeting has been planned between PM Modi and Pakistan PM Imran Khan at the SCO Summit in Bishkek."
Modi is attending the annual SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek. Khan is also scheduled to participate in the meet of the China-dominated grouping.
India has not been engaging with Pakistan since early 2016, following a terror attack on an Indian Air Force base at Pathankot in January that year, maintaining that talks and terror cannot go together.
On Sunday, 26 May, Khan called up Modi to congratulate him on his re-election.
It was their first telephonic conversation after the Balakot airstrikes in February. During the conversation, the Ministry of External Affairs said, Modi told Khan that creating trust and an environment free of violence and terrorism was essential for fostering peace and prosperity in the region.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
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