PM Imran Khan, FM Qureshi refuse to shake hands with India's Jaishankar

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday did not shake hands with India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar during a group photo at the Tashkent conference, ARY NEWS reported.

According to details, Prime Minister Imran Khan shook hands one by one with heads of the states and foreign ministers participating in the two-day Central-South Asia conference hosted by Uzbekistan.

However, when he reached near to Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, he did not approach him for a handshake and rather initiated an informal chat with the Russian foreign minister standing next to him.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi also did not shook hands with his Indian counterpart during the conference.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed disappointment over Pakistan being blamed for unrest in Afghanistan and said that no one played more role than Pakistan did in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table.

Addressing the Tashkent conference, the prime minister, who is on a two-day visit to Uzbekistan, said that Pakistan was a victim of the war on terror and has sacrificed over 70,000 countrymen during it.

“Even today, Pakistan will be affected the most from any unrest in the neighbouring country,” he said.

Read More: PAKISTAN REJECTS INDIAN DENIAL OF INVOLVEMENT IN TERRORIST ATTACK IN LAHORE

“We played our role in bringing the Taliban to negotiating table,” the prime minister said and expressed his disappointment that even after that Pakistan is being blamed for the ongoing situation in the neighbouring country.

Prime Minister Imran Khan also raised the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) issue and said that it was the major bone of contention between Pakistan and India.