Bilawal's bow and Jaishankar's cold shoulder at SCO meet in Goa | WATCH

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar kept it classy yet formal as he welcomed Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Goa on Friday. Swapping handshake with a simple namaste, Jaishankar briefly exchanged pleasantries with Bhutto, who is the first Pakistani FM to visit India in nearly 12 years.

But as the duo met, social media users couldn't help but point out that Jaishankar's silent sternness somehow spoke volumes. Lauding the minister, one Twitter user wrote, "No handshake. Cold treatment. Minimum pleasantries. Brutal Jaishankar sir supremacy."

Another user added, "Loved it." A third user added, "Befitting welcome." A day before the meeting, Zardari had shared a video message to subtly hint that he was looking forward to engaging in bilateral talks with "friendly countries". "My decision to attend this meeting illustrates Pakistan’s strong commitment to the charter of SCO. During my visit, I look forward in engaging bilaterally with my counterparts from friendly countries," he said.

#WATCH | EAM Dr S Jaishankar welcomes Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for the Meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers in Goa pic.twitter.com/TVe0gzml1U

— ANI (@ANI)

Jaishankar slams cross-border violence in SCO opening remarks

Zardari arrived in Goa to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting, which kicked off with EAM Jaishankar opening his address by emphasising the need to tackle cross-border terrorism. "The menace of terrorism continues unabated. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism. Combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of SCO," he said.  

On Friday, Zardari's frosty welcome by Jaishankar juxtaposed with that of Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. When the Russian foreign minister walked towards the scene, Jaishankar smiled and guided him with a gesture, before engaging in a conversation and letting out a chuckle.