Nawaz-Modi meeting not planned in Astana: Sushma Swaraj

Nawaz-Modi meeting not planned in Astana: Sushma Swaraj

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swatraj on Monday ruled out any meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharf at the up coming Astana conference in Kazakhstan.

“No such meeting has been planned either from their side or from our side,” she said at a press meet here to present her ministry's yearly report card.

Leaders from a dozen countries will assemble in Astana from June 8-9 as part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.

PM Modi is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit.

Sushma said New Delhi's policy towards Pakistan has been “clear and consistent” and there has been no “flip-flop” in dealing with Islamabad.

“We have consistently followed our Pakistan policy; we extended our friendship; PM Modi's Lahore trip was out of the box.

She made the comments in response to a question whether India's stand on the talks are consistent and prejudiced by immediate turn of events.