The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday said that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will engage with all SAARC leaders in Kathmandu, people will have to wait and watch if there is a separate meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
"As a part of the deliberations, it is likely that Prime Minister Modi will engage with all the SAARC leaders. Whether there will be a separate discussion with Pakistan's Prime Minister on the sidelines of this visit is something that we will have to wait and watch," said party spokesperson G.V.L Narsimha Rao.
Rao said India had a responsibility to maintain cordial dialogue with all the neighbours.
"We have a strong Prime Minister, we also have a responsibility to maintain cordial dialogue with all our neighbours, which will be in the interest of all SAARC nations," he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to leave for Kathmandu this afternoon to attend the 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit.
He will be accompanied by a delegation consisting of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh, among others.
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The two-day long Summit which will see all the heads of the Government making their policy statements. Agreements on transport, energy and electricity sector are also expected to be signed.
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka comprise the bloc which was founded by seven states in 1985.