Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday called on Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who indulged in a bit of humour while introducing his country’s foreign secretary, on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia Conference in Islamabad.
“Conveying India’s commitment to good neighbourly relations, EAM @SushmaSwaraj calls on PM Nawaz Sharif,” external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted after the meeting along with pictures of the two leaders.
Dawn online, in a report, said that Sharif and Sushma Swaraj discussed bilateral issues during the meeting.
In a 33-second video of the Sharif-Sushma meeting, the two leaders are heard introducing their delegations to each other.
While introducing Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Sharif could is heard saying, “Yeh hamare Foreign Secretary hain…joh muskura rahe hain.”
This made everyone present burst into laughter, even as photographers captured the light-heard moment.
Earlier on Wednesday, Sushma Swaraj extended India’s hand of friendship to Pakistan at the conference.
“It is time that we display the maturity and self-confidence to do business with each other and strengthen regional trade and cooperation,” she said in her address at the conference.
“For its part, India is prepared to move our cooperation at a pace which Pakistan is comfortable with,” she added.
The Heart of Asia Conference engages “heart of Asia” countries in sincere and result-oriented cooperation for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.
Later, the Indian minister attended a lunch hosted by Sharif for the Heart of Asia conference delegates.
This is the first ministerial visit from India to Pakistan since then external affairs minister S.M. Krishna visited the South Asian neighbour in 2012.