New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanged pleasantries with his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan in Bishkek on Friday against the backdrop of simmering tensions between the two countries following a terrorist attack in Kashmir in February. According to a person familiar with the development, the exchange consisted of “usual pleasantries" and it was not a meeting between the two leaders. Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi too said that the exchange between the prime ministers was an 'informal' one. “The Pakistani Prime Minister congratulated him on his victory and of course he has won with a heavy mandate by defeating a major political family," Qureshi was quoted as saying by news reports. The Indian foreign ministry had earlier requested visas for the pilgrims.

Source: Mint June 14, 2019 15:56 UTC