As Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari became the first minister to visit India since 2014, External Affairs S Jaishankar on Friday welcomed him with a ‘namaste’ in Goa at a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Visuals showed the foreign ministers’ customary greeting with folded hands before the two posed for pictures and Jaishankar directed him to the venue. In fact, Jaishankar greeted all his other counterparts of the SCO grouping with a ‘namaste.’
Incidentally, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh did not shake hands with his Chinese counterpart General Li Shangfu in New Delhi during the SCO Defence Ministers’ meet on April 27.
At Thursday evening’s reception for the SCO Foreign Ministers, Jaishankar shook hands with his Pakistani counterpart like he did with others, according to a few people who are part of Bhtutto-Zardari’s entourage. Bhutto-Zardari’s visit to India to attend the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting came amid continuing strain in ties between the two countries on a host of issues, including Islamabad’s use of cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
He was received at the airport in Goa on Thursday by JP Singh, the joint secretary heading the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division at the external affairs ministry.
On his arrival in the coastal state, Bhutto-Zardari had said he looks forward to constructive discussions with his counterparts from friendly countries. Bhutto-Zardari attended the SCO conclave at Jaishankar’s invitation.
“I am happy to arrive in Goa for participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. I am leading the Pakistan delegation at SCO and hope that the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) will be successful,” Mr Zardari said in a video on Thursday.
