SCO Summit in Pakistan: No Bilateral Talks Between India and Pakistan Scheduled

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference is scheduled to take place this Wednesday, October 16. India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has reached Islamabad, Pakistan today. According to persons acquainted with the situation, Jaishankar is expected to attend a banquet event that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is hosting to greet the representatives from the SCO member countries, as reported by news agency PTI.

Amidst ongoing strain in ties between the two neighbors, this is the first high-level visit from India in years.

Dr. S. Jaishankar in Pakistan

India's foreign minister will visit Pakistan for the first time in nearly nine years. This visit comes despite ongoing tensions between the two countries over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism from Pakistan.

Landed in Islamabad to take part in SCO Council of Heads of Government Meeting. pic.twitter.com/PQ4IFPZtlp

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 15, 2024

Jaishankar is expected to visit Pakistan for a duration of less than twenty-four hours.

SCO Summit in Pakistan

The SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) Summit is being held in Pakistan on October 15 and 16.

The ceremony will be attended by prominent regional government officials, including Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, according to an official announcement, as reported by PTI.

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No Bilateral Talks Between Ind and Pak

There shall be no bilateral talks between the heads of both nations. Aside from the SCO heads of government meeting, India and Pakistan have already ruled out holding any bilateral discussions between Jaishankar and his Pakistani colleague Ishaq Dar.

SCO Summit Agenda

"The 23rd Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) will be held on October 16, 2024, in Islamabad under the chairmanship of Pakistan," the Ministry of External Affairs stated in a statement on Tuesday. The annual meeting of the SCO CHG is centered on the organization's trade and economic agenda.

Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, will represent India at the conference. The statement said, "India continues to be actively involved in the SCO format, including a number of procedures and initiatives inside the SCO framework.

What is SCO?

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was founded in 2001 to strengthen regional cooperation in the areas of politics, economy, and security.

The SCO currently consist of Pakistan, China, India, Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus, with 16 other nations participating as "dialogue partners" or observers.

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