External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar reached to Islamabad, Pakistan, on Tuesday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit scheduled for Wednesday. According to PTI, Jaishankar will attend a banquet hosted by Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif welcoming delegates in SCO member countries. This is the first visit from India at such a high level to Pakistan in nearly nine years, given that the tensions regarding the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism do not seem to be easing up. Jaishankar will stay for less than 24 hours.
#WATCH | EAM Dr S Jaishankar arrives in Rawalpindi, Pakistan for the 23rd Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of Government.
(Source: PTV) pic.twitter.com/BMIxwWWINk
— ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2024
The participation of Jaishankar in the 23rd Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) in Islamabad has also been confirmed by the Ministry of External Affairs. The annual meeting, convened this year under the chairmanship of Pakistan, focuses on the organization’s trade and economic agenda. The SCO was formed in 2001 and comprises countries like India, China, Russia, Pakistan, and Iran. Pakistan’s Deputy PM Ishaq Dar said they were geared up to host the summit, adding, “We are ready to extend a warm welcome to the summit participants, including the Indian foreign minister.
Both India and Pakistan have ruled out any bilateral talks between the foreign ministers of the two countries on the sidelines. Their ties are in a bad space since the 2019 Balakot airstrikes that came after the Pulwama terror attack. Matters went downhill after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019, when Pakistan downgraded diplomatic relations. India insists normalization of ties has to wait till Pakistan creates a terror-free environment for it to do so.
Strict security arrangements have been made for the event, with over 9,000 personnel being deployed and army troops having been positioned in Islamabad.
