India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, is set to participate in a formal reception hosted by Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) delegates. This marks a significant diplomatic engagement, given the tense history between India and Pakistan.
jaishankar High-Level Visit to Pakistan for SCO Summit
S. Jaishankar is slated to arrive in Islamabad on Tuesday, October 15, to attend the SCO summit. This is the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan in several years, reflecting the gravity of the event despite the strained relations between the two nations. The summit will bring together representatives from various SCO member states to discuss regional cooperation in critical areas like economy, trade, and socio-cultural linkages.
Opposition PTI Party Halts Planned Protests
Amid heightened security in Islamabad, Pakistan’s opposition party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), cancelled a planned protest. This decision came just as the 23rd SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting began. The protest was initially scheduled in response to the Pakistani government barring meetings with the PTI’s jailed leader, Imran Khan. The protest was called off after an agreement that a medical team would be allowed to visit Khan in prison.
Pakistan’s Role in Hosting the SCO Summit
As part of its rotating presidency of the SCO CHG for 2023-2024, Pakistan is hosting the two-day summit. The leadership change occurred during the previous CHG meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in October 2023. Pakistan’s current hosting role brings a focus on strengthening regional ties despite its internal challenges and security concerns.
jaishankar Expected Engagement in Pakistan
Jaishankar is expected to participate in a banquet hosted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif soon after his arrival. This event will serve as an opportunity for member states to connect informally before the official summit proceedings. However, sources indicate there will be no bilateral meetings between Jaishankar and Pakistan’s finance minister, Ishaq Dar, highlighting the continued tension in Indo-Pak relations.
India’s Foreign Minister in Pakistan After Nearly a Decade
This visit marks the first trip by an Indian external affairs minister to Pakistan in nearly nine years. Despite this engagement, the core issues that have strained relations—primarily the Kashmir dispute and terrorism originating from Pakistan—remain unresolved. Jaishankar stay is expected to be brief, lasting less than 24 hours, underlining the cautious diplomatic approach India continues to take.
Imran Khan’s Arrest and PTI’s Response
The looming threat of civil unrest was defused when the PTI called off their protest after the government agreed to their demands concerning Imran Khan’s welfare in jail. The protest was initially planned to pressure the government to grant a medical visit to Khan, as the SCO summit added security measures limiting jail access.
Highlights of the India-Pakistan Diplomatic Strain
- The last time an Indian foreign minister visited Pakistan was in December 2015, when Sushma Swaraj attended an Afghanistan-focused conference.
- In 2023, Pakistan extended an invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the SCO summit, further emphasizing the importance of the regional body.
- Jaishankar visit to Pakistan is a notable decision from New Delhi, especially considering his recent comments emphasizing that good relations with Pakistan are impossible without addressing cross-border terrorism.
- India’s airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp in Balakot, Pakistan, in 2019 after the Pulwama terror attack marked a low point in bilateral relations.
- Tensions further escalated after India revoked Article 370, stripping Jammu and Kashmir of its unique status, leading Pakistan to downgrade diplomatic ties with India.
Importance of jaishankar Visit
India’s decision to send Jaishankar signals its ongoing commitment to the SCO, an important regional alliance. It also serves as a reminder that despite the diplomatic deadlock, both countries continue to participate in multilateral forums. India has long maintained that it seeks peaceful and normal relations with Pakistan, but insists that Pakistan must take meaningful steps to curb terrorism for this to be possible.
Bilateral Relations Since 2019
Relations between the two countries reached their lowest after India’s airstrikes in Pakistan and the subsequent political fallout following the removal of Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status. Pakistan responded by reducing its diplomatic presence in India and freezing relations. While Pakistan’s former foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, visited India for an SCO meeting in May 2023, it did little to thaw the frosty ties between the two nations.
The summit will be another key moment in the ongoing diplomatic dance between the two countries, where cooperation within regional frameworks like the SCO may be maintained, even as deeper bilateral relations remain on hold.
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