Jaishankar’s participation in the Islamabad summit underscores India’s continued commitment to multilateral forums despite bilateral tensions.
India’s External Minister S. Jaishankar to visit Pakistan for SCO summit. In a significant diplomatic development, India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is set to visit Pakistan to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting. The summit, which will be hosted in Islamabad, is scheduled for October 15 and 16, 2024.
Jaishankar’s visit marks a rare high-level diplomatic interaction between the two neighboring countries, which have experienced strained relations in recent years. This will be the first time in nearly a decade that an Indian minister of this rank will attend an official event in Pakistan.
The SCO, an eight-member Eurasian political, economic, and security organization, plays a critical role in regional diplomacy, with key member states including China, Russia, India, and Pakistan. The Council of Heads of Government meeting is an essential platform for member nations to discuss economic and developmental cooperation.
Jaishankar’s participation in the Islamabad summit underscores India’s continued commitment to multilateral forums despite bilateral tensions. However, no formal talks between Indian and Pakistani officials outside the scope of the SCO agenda have been announced.
The upcoming meeting is seen as an opportunity for both nations to contribute to regional stability and economic collaboration within the framework of the SCO, though geopolitical dynamics between India and Pakistan remain sensitive.
Last year in May, the then-foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari visited India to attend the two-day meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers.
It was the first visit to India by a top Pakistani official since then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif attended Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in in 2014.
Pakistan downgraded its ties with India after the Modi-led government unilaterally changed the special status of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in August 2019 — the decision that Islamabad believed undermined the environment for holding talks between the neighbours.
Islamabad has linked its decision to normalising ties with New Delhi with the restoration of the special status of the IIOJK.
Despite the frosty ties, the two countries agreed to renew the 2003 ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control (LoC) in February 2021.
SCO summit
In July this year, Mumtaz Baloch, while giving details on the upcoming SCO event in Islamabad, said the summit would feature a ministerial huddle along with multiple meetings of senior officials to foster cooperation in finance, economics, socio-cultural affairs and humanitarian efforts among member states.
Meanwhile, the federal government approved a comprehensive plan to ensure foolproof security during the forthcoming huddle of regional leaders.
During the meeting, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that additional personnel from the Pakistan Army, Rangers, Frontier Corps (FC), and Punjab police will be deployed for security duties at the SCO moot.
