Narendra Modi greets Nawaz Sharif in Astana, enquires about his health: Report

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on Thursday exchanged pleasantries at a cultural gala in Astana, amid frosty bilateral ties, deadlocked talks and escalation of hostilities along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

It was the first encounter between Modi and Sharif after their last meeting in Lahore on December 25, 2015, when the Indian prime minister made a surprise stopover at the historic city.

Modi and Sharif are in Astana to attend the summit of Shanghai



Cooperation Organisation (SCO) where India and Pakistan will be inducted as full members of the bloc on Friday.

Official sources said Modi and Sharif were in the Leaders' Lounge at the Astana Opera before the SCO concert where they exchanged greetings.

"Since it was the first occasion when the two leaders came across each other after Sharif's operation, PM Modi enquired about his health. He also enquired about Sharif's mother and family," a top source said. Sharif had undergone an open-heart surgery in June last year.