DUBAI: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Indian Shah Mahmood Qureshi S Jaishankar will be in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the weekend though both countries confirmed that no meeting was planned between the two leaders.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi arrived in the UAE on Saturday where he was expected to hold talks with his counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other UAE dignitaries.
The moment Qureshi landed in the Gulf country, the Indian government announced that External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar would be in Abu Dhabi for a day trip on April 18. As both foreign ministers of India and Pakistan will be in UAE, several reports highlighted the speculation of backchannel talks between the two countries to ease tensions.
Pakistan, however, has refused reports of any meeting taking place between Qureshi and Jaishankar. In response to queries, FO spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said, “No such meeting is scheduled during Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s ongoing visit to the UAE.”
Meanwhile, Hindustan Times reported that a person familiar with developments said Jaishankar’s visit is “purely bilateral” and his engagements are “only with UAE dignitaries”. He will be discussing some pressing economic and community welfare issues related to COVID-19.
The speculation comes on the heels of the UAE’s envoy to Washington’s admission that the Gulf state is mediating to bring about a “healthy and functional” relationship between India and Pakistan.
According to a report by an international news agency, in January, top intelligence officers from India and Pakistan held secret talks in Dubai in a renewed effort to calm military tension over Kashmir.
Ties between India and Pakistan have been frozen since a suicide bombing of an Indian military convoy in Kashmir in 2019 which India accused Pakistan of backing, and which Pakistan has always maintained was a home-grown attack.
