No bilateral meeting planned between Modi, Imran on the sidelines of SCO meet in Bishkek: MEA

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not scheduled to meet his Pakistani counterpart, Imran Khan, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek next week, according to the external affairs ministry.

The PM will attend the SCO summit from June 13-15.

“To the best of my knowledge, no meeting is being arranged between Prime Minister Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the SCO meet,” external affairs ministry’s spokesman Raveesh Kumar said on Thursday.


The statement poured cold water on speculation to the contrary which had been fuelled by Pakistan foreign secretary’s ongoing visit to Delhi.

Speculation has also been rife that national security adviser (NSA) level backchannel talks might start once Pakistan appoints a new NSA.

Last month, according to sources, no decision could be taken on a meeting between Modi and Khan in Bishkek. If the two PMs do meet, however, India will convey that its red lines on talks and terrorism have not changed, said one person.

In the past few years, India has not budged from its stand on the issue. Murmurs of a possible meeting between the two PMs started gaining momentum after Khan called Modi to congratulate him on his landslide victory.