External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday to participate in a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting, marking the first visit by an Indian external affairs minister to Pakistan in nearly nine years. Upon his arrival at Nur Khan airbase, he was greeted by senior Pakistani officials.
This visit comes amid ongoing tensions between the two nations, with the last visit by a senior Indian minister occurring in December 2015, when Sushma Swaraj attended a conference on Afghanistan in Islamabad.
Pakistan is hosting the two-day SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) summit on October 15 and 16. The summit will focus on cooperation in areas such as economy, trade, environment, and socio-cultural ties, as well as reviewing the SCO’s performance. Pakistan assumed the rotating chairmanship of the SCO CHG for 2023-24 during a previous meeting in Bishkek in October.
Jaishankar is expected to attend a banquet reception hosted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for SCO delegates. However, both sides have confirmed that there will be no bilateral discussions between Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, during the summit.
Recently, Jaishankar emphasized India’s desire for good relations with Pakistan, stating, “But that cannot happen by overlooking cross-border terrorism and indulging in wishful thinking.”
To ensure the safety of the approximately 900 delegates attending the summit, Pakistan has deployed Army Rangers to secure the event, key government buildings, and the Red Zone area. Additionally, over 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been mobilized, with certain businesses temporarily closed and key routes blocked to mitigate security risks in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
