Amid reports that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held an informal meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Muhammad Ishaq Dar on the sidelines of an SCO meeting, former Prime Minister and ruling PML-N party chief Nawaz Sharif has said that he believes the Indian cricket team can help thaw the relationship between the countries.
Nawaz, who has earlier too vocalised his desire to mend ties between the nations, said on Thursday that the Indian cricket team should come to Pakistan to play in the Champions Trophy. "If you ask the Indian team, I am sure they would also say they want to come and play in Pakistan," he added.
He said he hoped the SCO could mark a good start for Pakistan-India relations.
The PML-N chief had earlier said that it would have been great if Prime Minister Modi had attended the SCO summit here in Pakistan. "I do hope that he and I will have an opportunity to sit together in the not-so-distant future," he said.
Nawaz's statement comes amid reports both in India and Pakistan that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held an informal meeting, away from the media's prying eyes, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting. The duo reportedly spoke twice and contemplated the idea of resuming some form of cricketing ties between the two countries, the reports said. However, Indian officials said no such discussion happened on the resumption of cricket ties with Pakistani leaders and Jaishankar only exchanged pleasantries with the officials in an informal setting.
However, Pakistani media Express Tribune said the talks were "first sign of a potential thaw between the two neighbours. The report quoted unnamed sources that said Pakistan and India agreed to lower the rhetoric despite having strained ties. "India agreed that it would not indulge in any blame game if Pakistan prime minister confined his speech to the SCO charter," it added.
There were also reports that the two sides exchanged messages to arrange seating during the luncheon such that both the foreign ministers could sit together.
"This is certainly a signalling and the positive one," a Pakistani official told Express Tribune. "It is a step in the right direction but [still] a long way to go," the official added, but warned against undue expectations about any immediate breakthrough.