Narendra Modi, Nawaz Sharif shake hands, begin meeting | Asia, World Snap

The SCO summit is likely to see India, which is now an observer of the grouping, acquire full membership.

Khalilullah said “all important issues would come under discussion”.

Indian officials, while insisting that expectations should not be raised for the meeting, likened India- Pakistan relations to a cricket match.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif shook hands with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and exchanged pleasantries.

“We were aware of the huge potential embedded in the Russian-Chinese-Mongolian interaction and therefore instructed the ministries concerned to start approving specific areas of our cooperation”, Putin said, adding some results could already be summed up now.

Both of them spoke about “accelerating the process” to resolve the long-standing boundary dispute and about India getting a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council and in export-control regimes like the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

Modi and Xi also discussed reconstruction projects in quake-hit Nepal.

When pointed out that in between Pakistan was mad at some remarks made by Modi in Bangladesh with regard to Pakistan, the official said, “sometimes a cricket match is disrupted by rains”.

The last time the leaders met one-on-one was Modi’s first day in office in May 2014.

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday welcomed the leaders of emerging powers for a summit Moscow hopes will show it not isolated despite the standoff with the West over Ukraine.

“We are talking about gradual lifting of barriers for investing by Chinese financial institutes…it would help develop the economy of our two countries”, he said.

Underlining that the issue was discussed in “some detail”, he said, “the Prime Minister expressed our view, how people see it in India”.

On update on BBC report claiming Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) receiving funding from Indian authorities, the Spokesman said the Pakistan government was in touch with the British authorities and a response was awaited.

With that, days of speculation ended whether both leaders would have a formal meeting. I think this is desirable, I don’t think it will lead to any resolution of any of the outstanding issues.