Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar will travel to Pakistan to partake in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting. The Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed this development. Pakistan is the host for this year's SCO summit, which will unfold on October 15-16.
Pakistan Extends Invitation
Pakistan holds the chairmanship for the rotating Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) and will host the two-day SCO Heads of Government Meeting in October during its term. Previously, in August, Pakistan extended an invitation to India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the October assembly of the SCO Council of Heads of Government.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, spokesperson for Pakistan's Foreign Office, stated that invitations have been dispatched to the heads of member countries for the meeting scheduled on October 15-16, including India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She mentioned that a few countries have already confirmed their participation, details of which will be disclosed in due course.
Meetings Among Senior Officials
Prior to the Islamabad summit, several ministerial and high-level official discussions will transpire, focusing on financial, economic, socio-cultural, and humanitarian collaboration among SCO member countries. The SCO consists of India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
India's Hosting Last Year
Last year, India hosted the SCO summit virtually, where Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif participated online. However, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan's Foreign Minister at the time, visited Goa in May 2023 to attend the two-day SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting, marking the first Pakistani Foreign Minister's visit to India in nearly 12 years.
The history of India-Pakistan relations is marred with tension, primarily due to the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. India continues to assert its desire for normal neighborly relations with Pakistan.
