SCO: India and Pakistan Face Off Amid Ongoing Tensions as Imran Khan’s Party Calls Off Protest

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is set to arrive in Pakistan on Tuesday, October 15, for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, marking the first high-level visit from India in nearly nine years amidst ongoing tensions between the two nations.

Jaishankar is expected to attend a banquet hosted by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to welcome delegates from SCO member countries. The two-day meeting will focus on cooperation in various areas including economy, trade, environment, and socio-cultural connections, as well as review the SCO’s performance.

Pakistan took over the rotating chair of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) for 2023-24 at the last meeting held in Bishkek in October 2023.

Notably, both sides have ruled out any bilateral discussions between Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar during the summit.

Protests in Pakistan

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the main opposition party, called off its planned protest in Islamabad after receiving government assurances that a medical team would be allowed to visit its jailed leader, Imran Khan. The protests aimed to press the government to facilitate meetings with Khan, who has been denied such access in Adiala Jail, particularly ahead of the SCO summit.

Key Points on the SCO Meeting and India-Pakistan Relations

1. This visit is significant as it is the first by an Indian foreign minister since Sushma Swaraj attended a conference in Islamabad in December 2015.
2. In August, Pakistan extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to the SCO summit.
3. Jaishankar’s visit is viewed as an important decision by India, reflecting its commitment to the SCO.
4. The Indian minister has stated that while India desires good relations with Pakistan, it cannot ignore issues of cross-border terrorism.
5. Relations between India and Pakistan deteriorated following India’s airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Balakot in February 2019, and further tensions arose after the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in August 2019.
6. Pakistan downgraded its diplomatic ties with India after this move.
7. India maintains that it seeks normal relations with Pakistan, contingent upon Islamabad creating a terrorism-free environment.
8. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the former foreign minister of Pakistan, visited India in May 2023 for an SCO meeting, marking the first visit of a Pakistani foreign minister to India in nearly 12 years.