PM Modi, Imran Khan To Come Face-To-Face Today At Lunch Hosted By UN General Secretary

PM Modi is also scheduled to hold a bilateral talk with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday on the sidelines of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

(Image: PTI)

New Delhi:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan may come face-to-face on Tuesday in New York for the first time amid heightened tensions between the two countries following the abrogation of Article 370 which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The two leaders would be together at the lunch hosted by the UN Secretary General António Guterres at around 13:15 PM (10:45PM IST), though no formal meeting between the two is scheduled . PM Modi is also scheduled to hold a bilateral talk with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday on the sidelines of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The meeting will take place at 12.15 p.m. local time (9.45 p.m. IST), Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar said at a briefing on Monday. The two leaders are likely to discuss a range of bilateral, regional and global issues. Discussion may take place to address the growing bilateral trade disputes between India and the US, potential defence and energy deals and peace process in Afghanistan. On Monday, Pakistan PM Imran Khan also met with the US President and tried to seek mediation help from him over Kashmir issue. However, in  a major disappointment to him, Trump said that any mediation would be possible only if both the sides agree for it. Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated after New Delhi on August 5 revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated it into two union territories. Reacting to India's move on Kashmir, Pakistan downgraded its diplomatic ties with New Delhi and expelled the Indian High Commissioner. Despite desperate attempts to internationalise the matter, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan failed to get international traction on the issue.