External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar is set to visit Pakistan later this month to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of Government summit. This visit marks Jaishankar’s first trip to Pakistan as India’s Foreign Minister and the first official visit by an Indian Foreign Minister to Islamabad in nearly nine years. The last visit was made by Sushma Swaraj, who attended the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process in Islamabad on December 8-9, 2015.
During a press conference in New Delhi, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal announced, “EAM Jaishankar will lead a delegation to Pakistan for the SCO summit, which will be held in Islamabad on October 15 and 16.”
India-Pakistan relations have been strained since the 2016 Uri terror attack, with India maintaining that no relationship is possible until Pakistan halts its funding and support for terrorism. The last high-level visit from India was in August 2016, when then Home Minister Rajnath Singh attended a meeting of SAARC Ministers in Islamabad. In 2018, Union Ministers Harpreet Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri visited Pakistan for the laying of the foundation stone for the Kartarpur Corridor.
When questioned about the possibility of a bilateral meeting with Pakistan, the MEA stated, “The EAM is leading a delegation, and we will share details about his plans closer to the meeting.”
The MEA has also condemned Pakistan’s welcome of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, with Jaiswal stating, “It is disappointing and condemnable that a fugitive from Indian justice has received a high-level welcome in Pakistan; however, it is not surprising.”
Additionally, the MEA confirmed that India has raised concerns regarding this issue with the Malaysian Prime Minister during his recent visit.
Pakistan has officially extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the SCO meeting in Islamabad this October. As the current holder of the rotating chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of Government, Pakistan will host this significant two-day summit.
