Jaishankar may meet Bilawal in Tashkent

By Our Special Correspondent

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is likely to interface with his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting in Tashkent on Thursday.

“Since the swearing in of the new coalition government in Pakistan on April 11, no high-level meeting has taken place between the two countries. It is too early to tell whether they will talk about border issues and terrorism. Diplomatic relations between the two countries are low and it remains to be seen whether the two will talk on the sidelines of the meeting," a source said.

Bilawal Bhutto recently condemned the trial of Kashmiri separatist Yasin Malik. He said that although his country wants to normalize relations with India, the environment is not suitable. This is the second time in a week that India and Pakistan are sitting at the table.

The first was held at the ongoing Tashkent Conference on Afghanistan attended by diplomats from 20 countries including India, UK, EU, Iran, Italy, Spain, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, US, Turkey and Japan.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tashkent said the main objective behind the program is to promote stability, security and post-conflict reconstruction in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Dr. Jaishankar will also meet China's Wang Yi at the upcoming SCO Foreign Ministers' meeting.

“The situation in eastern Ladakh along the LAC is likely to figure in their conversation. India has continuously urged China to end the disengagement process and military standoff," the source said.