Nawaz, Modi may have chance meeting in Astana

Islamabad

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel through Pakistan’s airspace today (Thursday) morning on his way to Kazakhstan capital Astana for attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) where Pakistan and India both will become member of the prestigious organization covering half of the population of world.

Interestingly Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is leaving about the same time for Astana from Islamabad, will also be in air in his special plan when Indian Prime Minister will be moving towards the Central Asian State after taking off from New Delhi.

Highly placed diplomatic sources told The News here Tuesday that Chinese and Russian Presidents are trying very hard for facilitating a meeting between two arch rival countries Prime Ministers in Astana on the fringes of the summit of the SCO.

The two countries have worked out some preliminary details for a “Chance Meeting” of the two Prime Ministers in Astana and the possibility of a meeting like they had in Paris two years back couldn’t be ruled out.

The sources said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is prepared for a meeting with his Indian counterpart provided it should produce tangible outcome. He is keen to see cessation of terror by Indian forces in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and he will certainly raise the issue if he gets opportunity to have interaction with Modi, the sources said.