The participation of the Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, mid-June has triggered speculation of a possible meeting between Narendra Modi and Imran Khan on the sidelines.

There was no official word from either side, but the exchange of pleasantries between the two foreign ministers, Sushma Swaraj and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, at a pre-summit meeting in Bishkek last week has given credence to the possibility of such an engagement, however brief.

Islamabad also accepted India’s request to allow Sushma’s flight to Bishkek to fly over its territory to avoid the longer route she would have had to take given that Pakistani airspace has been shut since the Balakot air strike in February.

The two Premiers have not met since Khan took over in August last year. The only conversation the two have had over the past 10 months has been to congratulate each other on election victories. Khan had telephoned Modi on Sunday to congratulate him and reiterate his readiness for a dialogue.

Pakistan has downplayed India’s decision not to invite Khan for his swearing-in ceremony. The Pakistani news portal Dawn.com quoted Qureshi as stating: “His (Modi’s) entire focus (during the election campaign) was on Pakistan-bashing. It was unwise to expect that he can get rid of this narrative (soon).”

India has invited the Bimstec countries for the swearing-in on Thursday evening. For Modi’s first term, the heads of the Saarc countries were invited to the oath-taking.

Pakistan is a Saarc member but not a part of Bimstec. In 2014, then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had attended the ceremony.