S. Jaishankar Set to Visit Pakistan for SCO Meeting; First Visit by Indian Foreign Minister Since 2015
Despite the tensions, India maintains its desire for normal neighborly relations, asserting that Pakistan must create an environment free of terror for meaningful dialogue.
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is scheduled to visit Pakistan to attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conclave in mid-October, as announced by the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday. This marks the first visit by an Indian External Affairs Minister to Pakistan since Sushma Swaraj attended a conference in Islamabad in December 2015.
The SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting will take place in Islamabad on October 15 and 16. During a weekly media briefing, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “The External Affairs Minister will lead our delegation to Pakistan to participate in the SCO summit.”
Mr. Jaiswal emphasized that the visit is solely for attending the SCO summit. In August, Pakistan extended an invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the SCO summit, highlighting the significance of this diplomatic engagement.
Jaishankar’s trip is viewed as a notable decision, reflecting India’s commitment to the SCO, which plays a crucial role in enhancing regional security cooperation. Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained since the Balakot airstrike in February 2019, a response to the Pulwama terror attack, and further deteriorated after India’s revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status on August 5, 2019.
Despite the tensions, India maintains its desire for normal neighborly relations, asserting that Pakistan must create an environment free of terror for meaningful dialogue.
The SCO conclave represents the second-highest platform within the organization, while the heads of state summit is the top forum, typically attended by the Indian Prime Minister. The SCO, which includes India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, is an influential economic and security bloc formed in 2001.
India has been actively involved with the SCO since becoming a full member in 2017 and has shown a keen interest in enhancing security cooperation through the organization’s Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS).
