India’s Minister for External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, stated on Saturday that he would not engage in discussions regarding bilateral relations during his visit to Pakistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, marking his first trip to the country in nearly a decade.
In response to a question at an event in New Delhi, Jaishankar acknowledged the media’s likely interest due to the nature of India-Pakistan relations but emphasized, “I am going there for a multilateral event. I am not going there to discuss India-Pakistan relations.” He added, “I am going there to be a good member of the SCO, but since I am a courteous and civil person, I will behave accordingly.”
The Indian foreign ministry confirmed Jaishankar’s attendance at the summit, scheduled for October 15-16, but did not clarify if he would meet with any Pakistani leaders during his visit.
India and Pakistan’s relationship has oscillated between thawing and freezing, particularly after they downgraded diplomatic ties in 2019 due to reciprocal actions.
The Foreign Office (FO) in Pakistan has also confirmed that Prime Minister Modi was invited to the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting, which will be hosted by Pakistan under its rotating chairmanship on October 15-16. FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch noted, “An invitation has also been sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” and that several countries had already confirmed their participation.
In preparation for the summit, a comprehensive security plan was approved on Wednesday, chaired by Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi, which includes deploying additional personnel from the Pakistan Army, Rangers, Frontier Corps, and Punjab police to ensure the guests’ safety.
Last May, former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari visited India for a two-day meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers, marking the first visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to India in nearly 12 years. Bhutto-Zardari later described the trip as a “productive and positive decision” regarding bilateral issues, including Kashmir.
Former adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz had also attended the Heart of Asia conference in Amritsar in December 2016. Furthermore, when India hosted the SCO Council of Heads of State in a virtual format on July 4, 2023, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s participation illustrated Pakistan’s willingness to engage despite strained relations.
India’s involvement in the SCO is a careful balancing act, weighing the need for regional security cooperation against concerns about China’s growing influence within the organization. By selectively engaging in SCO’s economic strategies, India seeks to counterbalance Chinese dominance while fostering constructive ties with Central Asian nations.
India has a longstanding policy of hesitance to attend meetings in Pakistan, exemplified by its boycott of the 19th Saarc Summit in November 2016, which was set to be hosted by Pakistan. This boycott left the regional body in a stalemate, as the Saarc charter requires the presence of all member states for a summit to proceed. Unlike Saarc, the SCO does not impose such restrictions, allowing greater flexibility in its meeting arrangements.
