SCO Summit: EAM S Jaishankar to arrive in Pakistan today to attend Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. What’s on platter?

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is set to arrive in Pakistan on Tuesday to participate in a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conclave. This marks the first high-level visit by an Indian Foreign Minister to Pakistan in nearly nine years amidst ongoing tensions between the neighbouring countries.

On Monday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang to discuss bilateral relations and mutual interests. Several agreements were signed during their discussions, and they virtually inaugurated the Beijing-funded Gwadar airport.

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According to state-run Radio Pakistan, the delegation-level meeting reflected the leaders’ satisfaction with the strategic cooperative partnership between Pakistan and China, which is grounded in mutual trust and shared principles.

They exchanged views on a wide range of bilateral, regional, and international issues, reaffirming their support for each other on core matters and committing to high-quality development.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will attend a reception hosted by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for delegates from SCO member nations. However, both sides have ruled out any bilateral talks between Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, during the SCO heads of government summit.

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This visit marks the first time in nearly nine years that an Indian Foreign Minister has traveled to Pakistan, despite ongoing tensions over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism linked to Pakistan. Jaishankar is expected to stay in Pakistan for less than 24 hours.

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Who are the attendees?

The attendees at the summit include:

S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India

Li Qiang, Prime Minister of China

Mikhail Mishustin, Prime Minister of Russia

Roman Golovchenko, Prime Minister of Belarus

Olzhas Bektenov, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan

Akylbek Zhaparov, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan

Akylbek Zhaparov, Prime Minister of Tajikistan

Abdulla Nigmatovich Aripov, Prime Minister of Uzbekistan

Mohammad Mokhber, First Vice President of Iran

Additionally, the summit will feature participation from the Foreign Ministers and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Turkmenistan as special guests, along with Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai, Prime Minister of Mongolia, as an observer state.

Pakistan is hosting the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting on October 15 and 16. The last Indian Foreign Minister to visit Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj, who attended a conference on Afghanistan in Islamabad in December 2015.

What’s on agenda?

The 23rd CHG meeting will evaluate the organization’s performance and discuss ongoing collaboration in commerce, economy, environment, and sociocultural links. Leaders will also approve the organization’s budget and make significant decisions to enhance cooperation among SCO member states.

Ties between India and Pakistan became severely strained after India’s airstrikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot in February 2019, following the Pulwama terror attack. Relations further deteriorated when India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019, bifurcating the state into two union territories. In response, Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with India.

India has expressed a desire for normal relations with Pakistan but insists that the responsibility lies with Islamabad to foster an environment free of terrorism and hostility. In May 2023, Pakistan’s then Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited India for an SCO foreign ministers’ meeting in Goa, marking the first visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to India in nearly 12 years.