MEA Spoeksman, Ravish Kumar

New Delhi: There is no meeting planned between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Bishkek.

“To the best of my knowledge there is no bilateral meeting being planned between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister (Imran Khan),” MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar told reporters here on Thursday.

The SCO Summit is being held at Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on June 13 and 14.

During SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting last month, the then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi exchanged only pleasantries.

India and Pakistan became full fledged SCO members in June 9 in 2017 at its Summit in Asthana.

To a question, he also said the visit of Pakistani foreign secretary Sohail Mahmood to New Delhi is a “personal visit” and there was no meeting planned with the Indian officials.

Pakistan’s newly appointed Foreign Secretary Mr Mahmood, who was envoy to India and arrived here on a private visit, offered Eid prayers at historic Jama Masjid here on Wednesday.

Sources said Mahmood is scheduled to return to Pakistan on Friday along with his family.

The diplomatic relation between India and Pakistan had suffered set back after Pulwama attack and the Balakot air strike by Indian Air Force on February 26, 2019.

Answering questions, MEA spokesman declined to say anything on media reports that Pakistan government has decided to slash its defence budget.

To a question on Jammat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed ‘not allowed’ by the Pakistan government on Wednesday to lead Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at spacious Gaddafi Stadium at Lahore, MEA spokesman said – “There are certain reports Pakistan is taking certain steps, but it ought to be kept in mind that our demand has been that the steps they take (on terror front) is irreversible or not. And the steps being taken are only for eyewash or are genuine actions against terror menace”.