SCO summit: PM Modi meets Sharif at Astana amid tense India-Pak ties

Both Modi and Sharif are in Kazakhstan's capital to participate in the SCO Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the sidelines of the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Astana, the capital of kazakhstan, reported the Indian Express.

According to the national daily, the meeting was limited to small talk, with PM Modi enquiring about Sharif's health and his family. Sharif had undergone a cardiac surgery in the UK last year. This is the first meeting between the two leaders since the surgery. 

Both Modi and Sharif arrived in Kazakhstan's capital to participate in the SCO Summit, where both India and Pakistan will be inducted as full members of the bloc.

Modi, Sharif, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping were among the top leaders who attended the reception hosted by Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Thursday. It was not known whether Modi and Sharif exchanged pleasantries at the reception.

Ties between India and Pakistan have nosedived over a range of issues, including the beheading of two soldiers by the Pakistan military along the line of control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and the death sentence handed down to former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav by a military court in Pakistan on charges of spying. The International Court of Justice has stayed Jadhav's execution.

The LoC has also been witnessing rising tensions.

The events related to the SCO Summit got underway with a spectacular concert on Thursday evening.

Indian classical dance Kathak was the first to be featured after the host nation Kazakhstan's ensemble.

Eight dancers from Bengaluru-based NADAM put up 'Mahaganapathim' -- an ode to the god of auspicious beginnings, Lord Ganesha.

India was the only observer country to perform in the concert which featured traditional and western classical music and dance performances from China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, apart from the hosts.