N.P. Upadhyaya, Kathmandu: The Indian Prime Minister Modi is likely to greet his “near to adversary” Pakistani friend, Prime Minister Imran Khan in New Delhi later this year.

Relations between the two South Asian nations have never been cordial since the days of partition, 1947.

However, the special session of the Sanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) which India is Chairing this year will bring the two declared enemies face to face.

Diplomatic sources in Delhi claim that Pakistan will be formally invited to attend the SCO event to be organized in India this autumn.

However, Islamabad is awaiting the Delhi invite.

“This year for the first time India is chairing one of the main SCO bodies, the Council of heads of government and Prime Ministers of the Organization’s member States”, said Vladimir Norov-the sitting Secretary General of the Sanghai Cooperation Organization in New Delhi.

Members of the SCO are India, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Notably, India and Pakistan joined the SCO only in 2017.

The Russian federation is hosting the heads of State meet of the SCO this July, sources say.

If and when Modi and PM Khan meet in Delhi this year, Nepali observers remain confident that the two leaders of the South Asian region, Modi and Khan, will give peace yet another chance and prove themselves that they too wish peace as against war.

However, PM Modi has a tarnished image in the entire South Asian region.

He is taken as a man who has tentatively killed the SAARC body.

By the way, Pakistan and India have already fought three wars in the past and the forceful occupation of the Kashmir valley by the Indian military forces since August 5/2019 may bring the two nations again face to face thus threatening the stability of the South Asian region.

In the meanwhile, a Pakistani Daily, the Nation, also hints that PM Imran Khan may visit Delhi to attend the SCO special session being chaired by India.

The two warring rivals must understand the gravity of the situation and make efforts aimed at institutionalizing peace in this part of the world. That’s all.