No Modi-Imran meeting at SCO summit: MEA

New Delhi: India Thursday said no bilateral meeting has been planned between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan on the sidelines of the SCO summit in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek next week.

There was speculation about the possibility of a meeting between Modi and Khan in the wake of a private visit here by Pakistan Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood days after a telephonic conversation between the prime ministers.

"To best of my knowledge, there is no bilateral meeting being planned between the prime minister and PM of Pakistan on the sidelines of the SCO summit," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson said during a media briefing. Asked specifically whether he was completely ruling out any possibility of Modi-Khan meeting in Bishkek, Kumar only said he was not aware of any bilateral meeting being organised between the two leaders.

Both Modi and Khan are scheduled to attend the annual SCO summit on June 13-14.

On Pakistan Foreign Secretary's ongoing visit here, Kumar said it is his personal trip and no meeting has been planned with Indian officials.

Tensions between the two countries worsened after the Pulwama terror attack and both the countries were almost on the brink of war after India's military planes struck a terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26 and Pakistan carried out a counter-offensive the next day.

Breaking the ice in bilateral ties, Khan on May 26 spoke to Modi on phone and expressed his desire to work together for peace and prosperity in the region.

Modi on his part called for creating trust and an environment free of violence and terrorism for fostering peace and prosperity in the region.

Kumar also said that there was no meeting last month in Bishkek between the then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Both had attended a meeting of SCO foreign ministers in the Kyrgyz capital last month.