Security and strategic affairs expert Commodore (retd.) Uday Bhaskar on Thursday said that the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet in Ufa, Russia, will be of significant development and enable the two sides to resume the dialogue process.
"Both the PMs meeting in Russia is a significant development. I think this is desirable, I don't think it will lead to any resolution of any of the outstanding issues. But it sends a signal, that perhaps at a political level, now that the two Prime Ministers have met. India and Pakistan can pick up or resume the dialogue that had started all the way going back to former prime minister Vajpayee," Commodore (retd.) Bhaskar told ANI.
"When General Musharraf had signed the 2004 agreement, the central element which was that Pakistan will stop supporting terror group. I think the dialogue has to resume at some point. And this is a signal that the two leaders are willing to meet at the highest political level," he added.
Pakistan's Foreign Office had earlier confirmed that Prime Minister Sharif will meet his Indian counterpart Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Ufa on July 10.
Prime Minister Sharif will also meet leaders of other countries at the summit, reported Daily Pakistan.
The confirmation came shortly after Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Vikas Swarup took to twitter to share the information.
According to reports, the SCO summit is likely to see India, which is currently an observer of the grouping, acquire full membership.
