Daily Times

Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi shook hands and exchanged pleasantries during their interaction on the sidelines of the 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Friday.

“I have already stated that there was no structured meeting. Yes, the meeting did take place, there was a handshake and exchange of pleasantries,” he said while talking to a private news channel. He described the meeting as a “courtesy”.

“Pakistan has said what it had to. India has not come out of its election mindset and the extreme position they had taken to influence their constituency and to keep their vote bank intact. It is still confined to that,” he said when asked to comment on the demand by certain quarters that Pakistan should not repeatedly invite India for talks.

He said India had to make a decision whether to hold bilateral talks with Pakistan to resolve all outstanding issues, and that Pakistan wanted the dialogue to be based on equality.

“So India has to make this decision, we are neither in haste, nor troubled. When India prepares itself, it would find us prepared, but we will hold talks on the basis of equality, in a dignified manner,” Qureshi said. “We neither need to run after anyone, nor do we need to demonstrate stubbornness. Pakistan’s approach is very realistic and well thought-out.”