India has invited Pakistan’s foreign minister to a meeting of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) that it is hosting in May, Indian media reported on Wednesday, signaling a possible thaw in relations between the nuclear-armed rivals.
As per a report by Reuters, the invitation came days after Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif called for talks with India over all outstanding issues, including Kashmir.
Just a month ago, there were street protests in India over comments Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari made about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the United Nations Security Council meeting. India called Zardari’s comments “uncivilized”.
Foreign ministry spokespersons for the two countries did not immediately respond to requests from Reuters for comment on the media reports that Zardari had been invited to the SCO foreign ministers meeting being hosted in Goa.
The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan and four Central Asian states.
According to the Indian Express newspaper, the invitation was delivered by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
If Pakistan accepts, Zardari would be its first foreign minister to visit India after a gap of nearly 12 years, reads the report.
