Sushma Swaraj Snubs Shah Mehmood Qureshi; Refuses To Stand Next To Him

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj refused to stand next to Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in a group picture taken at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers moot in Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday.

At the moot, when all attending foreign ministers gathered for a picture, Swaraj ended up standing next to Qureshi. However, as she turned to her side and saw her Pakistani counterpart standing next to her, she changed her place.

PHOTO: FILE

Swaraj’s vacated spot was taken by Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov. FM Qureshi on Tuesday departed for Kyrgyzstan to represent Islamabad at the Shanghai Cooperation Operation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting.

The two-day moot will be attended by foreign ministry officials of SCO member states to approve resolutions to be adopted by the council of heads of states at the SCO meeting scheduled to be held in June. Qureshi will also present comments at the plenary session. He will also hold bilateral talks with participating foreign ministers and the secretary general of the SCO.