Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar concluded his participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Islamabad and departed for India, leaving behind a message of positivity regarding Pakistan.

Before his departure, Jaishankar engaged in an informal, positive conversation with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar over lunch.

According to private television channels citing sources, the conversation between the two foreign ministers reportedly began with a discussion about cricket, initiated by the Pakistani side.

With the ICC Champions Trophy scheduled for February in Pakistan next year, sources indicate that preliminary discussions regarding the event took place.

However, the Foreign Office spokesperson, in an informal conversation with the news media today, clarified that no formal bilateral meeting took place between the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India.

Read more: PM Shehbaz extends warm welcome to Indian FM Jaishankar, others to SCO dinner

The spokesperson stated that while both ministers were present at the same event, their seating arrangements were not altered to facilitate a meeting; their seats happened to be adjacent at the luncheon hosted at the Prime Minister’s House.

Upon departing from Islamabad, Jaishankar expressed gratitude to both Deputy Prime Minister Dar and the Government of Pakistan.

He further conveyed this appreciation on Twitter, thanking Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar for their hospitality, praising Pakistan’s generosity and warm welcome.