Indian foreign minister to attend SCO summit in Pakistan

DELHI/ISLAMABAD: The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed that Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar will travel to Pakistan to participate in the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.

This is a significant diplomatic development for both the nations. The summit, scheduled for October 15-16, 2024, will be hosted in Islamabad. Attendance of the Indian envoy will mark a rare high-level engagement between the two neighbouring countries amid ongoing tensions.

Pakistan had extended an official invitation to India, requesting its participation in the summit, as part of broader SCO efforts to promote regional cooperation.

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The Indian media also reported that Pakistan invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the conference, though it remains unclear whether Modi will personally attend or send a delegation in his place.

The SCO, which includes major regional players like China, Russia, and Central Asian nations, provides a platform for member countries to discuss security, economic, and political matters. This year’s summit in Islamabad will likely be closely watched, as it comes at a time of heightened regional and global challenges.

The last high-level visit between the two countries took place in May 2023 when the-then foreign minister of Pakistan Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari went to India to attended the SCO foreign ministers’ meeting.