‘We Respect Russia-India Ties’: Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif Tells Putin in Beijing
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that Islamabad respects Moscow’s strong relationship with New Delhi, describing the ties as “perfectly fine,” during a bilateral meeting in Beijing .
Sharif, who met Putin on the sidelines of events commemorating the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II, added that Pakistan is also keen to build “very strong relations” with Russia that would be “supplementary and complementary” to regional progress and prosperity . Praising the Russian leader as “very dynamic,” Sharif expressed his willingness to work closely with him .
The meeting came after a widely circulated video from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit showed Sharif hastily trying to get Putin’s attention for a handshake as the Russian President walked alongside Chinese leader Xi Jinping . Both leaders attended the SCO summit in Tianjin before heading to Beijing for a major military parade .
During the SCO summit, the diplomatic optics were in stark contrast to the firm stance taken by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who, in Sharif’s presence, strongly condemned cross-border terrorism . Citing the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, PM Modi called for zero tolerance and warned that “double standards” in the fight against terrorism would not be acceptable to the international community .
