Pakistan says no bilateral meeting planned between Sharif, Modi

Islamabad, Nov 20: Pakistan on Thursday said that no bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi has been planned on the sidelines of SAARC summit in Kathmandu, but noted that leaders do interact informally during such events.

"As regard bilateral meetings with India, we do not have anything to share with you," Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said, when asked about the possibility of meeting between the two leaders during the 18th SAARC Summit on November 26-27.

"I can confirm the meeting with the leadership of the host country. Apart from that I do not have the details of other meetings," she said.

She, however, indicated the possibility of informal interaction between the two leaders, saying "during the Summit and retreat, leaders do interact." India called off foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan after Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit held talks with Kashmiri separatists.

On the situation along the border, she said there is apparent calm on LoC as "we have not heard of any sustained violations by India." She said Pakistan Permanent Representative at UN was in contact with the relevant UN officials over LoC.

PTI