India and Pakistan did not have any formal bilateral meeting, but External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who was in Islamabad on October 15 and 16 for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, had “casual conversations” with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and foreign minister Ishaq Dar on the sidelines of the conclave over the past two days.
A report by PTI quoted diplomatic sources as saying that Jaishankar and Dar held “casual conversations” on two occasions in the last two days, but there was no indication of any thaw in the frosty relations between India and Pakistan.
‘Brief pull aside’
The diplomatic sources quoted in the report further stated that there was a brief pull-aside between Jaishankar and Dar at an informal dinner reception hosted by Sharif at his residence for the SCO delegates on Tuesday.
Improving cricketing ties
Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), joined Jaishankar and Dar.
During his conversation with Jaishankar, Naqvi had brief exchanges related to improving cricketing ties between the two countries as a way of “breaking the ice”, the sources further said.
Pakistan is planning to host the Champions Trophy next year and wants India’s participation. The relationship between the two countries has been strained since the unsuccessful attempt to resume dialogue in 2015 and further deteriorated after India’s revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in 2019.
On Wednesday, day 2 of the SCO, Jaishankar and Dar sat next to each other at the official lunch following the conclave and were seen engaged in a conversation that appeared to be positive signalling, the sources adding without elaborating further.
One of the sources said that arrangements were made for the two foreign ministers to sit together. It was not known what transpired in the conversation.
Jaishankar’s Pakistan visit was ‘ice breaker’
Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar described Jaishankar’s Islamabad visit as an “ice breaker”.
“Neither us nor them requested a bilateral meeting… but I believe his (Jaishankar’s) arrival here is an ice breaker,” Tarar was quoted as saying by the media.
The report quoted a senior Pakistani official as saying that there was an overall positivity around Jaishankar’s visit to Islamabad.
Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan was the first by an Indian foreign minister in almost nine years.
At the dinner reception on Tuesday, EAM Jaishankar and Sharif warmly shook hands, exchanged pleasantries and briefly interacted.
The next day (Wednesday), Sharif welcomed Jaishankar at the venue of the SCO summit with a handshake.
A report by Times of India quoted sources in the Indian government appreciating the fact that the Pakistan PM did not rake up any bilateral issue in his opening remarks as the host of the 2024 SCO Summit.
Before departing from Islamabad, Jaishankar thanked Sharif and Dar in a post on ‘X’ for the hospitality and courtesies and described the SCO conclave as “productive”.
“Departing from Islamabad. Thank PM Shehbaz Sharif, DPM & FM Ishaq Dar and the Government of Pakistan for the hospitality and courtesies,” Jaishankar said.
Now, all eyes will be COP29 that will be held next month in Azerbaijan where Sharif and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to come face to face. But before any substantive talks, India will want Pakistan to first reappoint high commissioner.
With inputs from PTI.
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Jaishankar has ‘casual conversations’ with Sharif, Dar; ‘breaking the ice,’ says Pakistan
