Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Imran Khan won't meet at SCO in Kyrgyzstan

The thawing of relations between New Delhi and Islamabad, expected to happen early in the Modi government's second term, may require some effort in the form of confidence-building measures from Pakistan.

The Ministry of External Affairs denied the possibility of a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan premier Imran Khan at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan next week.

"To the best of my knowledge, no meeting has been planned between PM Modi and Imran Khan in Bishkek," said MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar on Thursday. It remains to be seen whether the two premiers exchange pleasantries at the summit.

Pakistan Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood's visit on Eid raised hopes of the two nations moving towards peace. But MEA said the visit was in a personal capacity and no official meetings were scheduled. In response to Pakistan's move to stop Hafiz Saeed from leading Eid prayers at Gaddafi stadium, a platform he traditionally uses for spewing venom against India, Kumar said, "We have seen this earlier, but there is no follow-up." He added that MEA is observing the steps taken by the neighbouring nation to curb cultivation of terrorism on its soil.