Modi meets all leaders except Pakistan PM

They shared the dais but leave alone a handshake, there was no exchange of courtesies between the prime ministers of India and Pakistan during the nearly three-hour Saarc Summit in Kathmandu yesterday.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, who were sitting two seats away from each other, did not look at each other even when Sharif crossed before and after delivering his speech at the 18th meeting of the eight-member regional bloc.
Leaders of Maldives and Nepal were seated between Modi and Sharif.
Though there is no “structured” meeting scheduled between the two leaders, a brief exchange of pleasantries was expected given that they would be attending the same conference and the retreat today.
On Tuesday, Sharif had sought to put the ball in India's court for an initiative for talks, saying, “cancellation of talks was New Delhi's unilateral decision,” and “ball is now India's court for talks between both the countries”.
India maintained that it was for “meaningful dialogue” which involves specifics.
Meanwhile, in a day when the sixth anniversary of Mumbai attack was being observed, Modi yesterday told Saarc leaders that India feels the “endless pain” of lost lives and urged the eight-nation grouping to combat terrorism unitedly.
Modi made a reference to the Mumbai carnage that claimed 166 lives in his maiden address to the 18th Saarc summit and echoed the views of Presidents of Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, which described the menace of terrorism as “fundamental challenge, both regionally and internationally”.
While Sharif did talk about “dispute-free” South Asia where instead of fighting among themselves, the countries should fight against poverty and other social issues, there was no mention of terrorism in his nearly 15-minute speech.
Modi also outlined various initiatives in key sectors of health, science, visa regimes and connectivity for the Saarc region as he pitched to turn South Asia of “flowering hope into a rich field of peace and prosperity” by collective efforts which, he said, were “more urgent than in South Asia; and, nowhere else is it so modest”.