ISLAMABAD: The Indian foreign ministry on Thursday said that no meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek.

“To the best of my knowledge, no meeting is being arranged between Prime Minister Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the SCO meet,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Talks about dialogue between Pakistan and India started gaining momentum after Prime Minister Imran Khan congratulated his Indian counterpart on his party’s electoral victory in Lok Sabha elections.

PM Imran expressed his desire for both countries to work together for the betterment of their peoples adding that the premier reiterated his vision for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia.

The premier in a tweet, earlier, congratulated Modi and said he looked forward to working for “peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia”.

Modi responded in a Twitter message thanked PM Imran for his “good wishes” and saying he wanted peace in the region.

The messages came just hours after Pakistan said it tested a surface-to-surface ballistic missile capable of carrying conventional and nuclear warheads. India tested its latest supersonic cruise missile on Wednesday.

Both India and Pakistan became members of the SCO in 2017, joining the forum founded in 2001 by Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.