Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is unlikely to meet his Pakistan counterpart Chaudhury Nisar Ali Khan on the sidelines of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) meeting in Kathmandu.
A senior Home Ministry official said Rajnath has a scheduled bilateral meeting with his Nepalese counterpart but not with Khan.
Rajnath also did not respond when reporters asked him whether he would meet Khan on the sidelines of the meeting.
Sources said Rajnath will be having bilateral meeting only with his Nepalese counterpart. Rajnath will leave for the Conference of Home and Interior Ministers of Saarc countries on Thursday. The meeting will begin on Wednesday with Joint Secretary-level talks.
Rajnath had earlier ruled a meeting saying, “terror and talks cannot go together”. His remark was in line with the stand the National Democratic Alliance government took since it called off the Foreign Secretary level dialogue between the two countries to protest Pakistan’sdecision to meet leaders of Hurriyat Conference and other separatist organisations just before its parleys with India.
Last week, at a press conference, he said, “If neighbours respond to the way we want, then the talks can take place.”