In a remarkable series of events, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Minister Nawaz Sharif met and spoke on the sidelines of the UNFCCC main event in Paris on Monday as they shook hands and shared a sofa set.

Sources confirmed to The Hindu that NSA Ajit Doval had a meeting with Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit two weeks ago, to discuss the likelihood of the Prime Ministers meeting in Paris.

PM Modi's meeting with Sharif was the first meeting between the two leaders since the summit in Ufa this July, which was followed by the dissolution of NSA talks they had agreed upon.

It remains to be seen if the conversation between the two leaders could lead to any further engagement between India and Pakistan. In particular, Pakistan has extended invitation to EAM Sushma Swaraj to attend the 'Heart of Asia' donor conference on Afghanistan to be held in Islamabad on December 7th. The BCCI has presented a proposal for permission for Team India to play a series of cricket matches with Pakistan in Sri Lanka later this month.

Jayant Prasad, Director General, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) said, "It is too early to say what will be the formal outcome of the meeting in Paris. But both the leaders should get sufficient space to decide the future course of action."

However, any plans for an India-Pakistan meltdown could be dampened with any possible further expos?s from the ISI spy ring bust.