Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as usual, went against the set schedule and had a meeting with the Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif at the yearly Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
The SCO is being held in Astana, Kazakhstan. Modi, on the sidelines, inquired about his Pakistani counterpart’s health. Sharif had, on May 31, undergone a heart surgery and had a telephonic conversation with Modi ahead of the surgery in the UK.
Modi then went ahead and tweeted, “My best wishes to PM Nawaz Sharif Sahab for his open heart surgery on Tuesday. And for his speedy recovery & good health.” Amidst the worsening bilateral ties, this is their first meeting in Astana.
Modi, speaking to Sharif moments before the SCO summit, also inquired about Sharif’s mother and his family. This, by experts, is being considered as the best icebreaker between the two countries, but any matter of importance is yet to be discussed.
India and Pakistan will be inducted into the SCO through this summit as the seventh and the eighth members. Led by China, this is an Eurasian alliance that aims at greater security and military cooperation between the member countries.
The two neighboring countries, that are always on the brink of war, will have their work even more tangled if they cannot keep their bilateral hostility under control.
