LS polls: PM Modi to campaign in Bihar, Bengal; BJP chief’s roadshows in TN
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday will hold four public meetings -- two each in Bihar and West Bengal -- to campaign for the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi shook hands with Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Qingdao, China, on Sunday. The two leaders were also seen having a brief chat after the handshake.
The two leaders, who are in Qingdao to attend the 18th SCO Summit, shook hands after signing of agreements between the member states of the eight-nation bloc.
The relations between India and Pakistan had strained after an attack on an Army camp in Uri allegedly by Pakistan-based terror organisations in 2016. The ties took a severe hit after sentencing of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav by a military court in April 2017.
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PM Modi held nearly half a dozen bilateral meetings with leaders of other SCO countries. However, there was no bilateral meeting between PM Modi and President Hussain.
Earlier in the day, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the entry of India and Pakistan into the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) would bolster its strength. He welcomed PM Modi and Pakistan President Hussain to the eight-member grouping as the two leaders attended the summit for the first time.
India and Pakistan were inducted as members of the Beijing-based SCO last year.
Xi, also the host of the 18th SCO summit, said in his opening remarks the presence of Modi and Hussain at the meeting was “of great historic significance”.
Read More | SCO summit: PM Modi, Xi Jinping hold delegation-level talks in Qingdao
The SCO enjoys strong vitality and momentum of cooperation, Xi said, attributing the organisation’s standing to the Shanghai Spirit. He called for the pursuit of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.
The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its members in 2017.
(With PTI inputs)
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