Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart, Mr Narendra Modi, will meet in Switzerland next month, officials here said.
The two leaders will be together to attend the 46th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos-Klosters. The three-day meeting will commence January 20.
Mr Sharif and Mr Modi had also met recently in Paris, paving the way for improvement in relations between the two nations. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj visited Pakistan this month to attend the “Heart of Asia Conference” and hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines.
Officials said Prime Minister Sharif had accepted the invitation to attend the forum while New Delhi had also consented to participation by Prime Minister Modi. Over 2,500 leaders from business, government, international organisations, civil society, academia and the arts will participate in the forum.
The theme of the forum this year would be “Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution”, sources said. Some political leaders and business magnates from Pakistan and India will also attend.
Meanwhile, it is likely that talks between the Pakistan and India foreign secretaries will take place after the two PMs meet at Davos. India is insisting that the foreign secretary talks, which would determine the course of the future dialogue between Pakistan and India, should be held in New Delhi, while Pakistan wants the venue to be Islamabad.
Earlier, Ms Sushma Swaraj said Mr Modi’s administration intended to have an “uninterrupted” dialogue process with Pakistan despite provocation from “saboteurs”.
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