New Delhi: India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is set to make a historic visit to Pakistan, attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Islamabad on October 15 and 16.
This marks the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan since December 2015, a significant development considering the strained relations between the two nations. “The external affairs minister will lead our delegation to Pakistan to participate in the SCO summit which will be held in Islamabad on October 15 and 16,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said earlier this month.
While Jaishankar has emphasised his trip is strictly for the multilateral SCO summit, his presence has sparked diverse interpretations. Former Pakistani foreign minister Khursheed Mahmood Kasuri sees the visit as a “positive development” that could potentially ease tensions between the neighbours. “Jaishankar’s visit is multilateral, nevertheless it may help ease tensions between the two neighbouring countries,” Kasuri was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.
However, former Pakistani diplomat Abdul Basit, who served as Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India, downplays the significance of the visit, arguing it’s simply a formality. He believes India is participating in the SCO without directly engaging with Pakistan’s concerns.”India does not want to get involved and tell the world that India sees SCO with the same lens as it sees relations with Pakistan. I never had any doubt that India wouldn’t be involved.”
Jaishankar himself has clarified that his trip will not involve bilateral talks or any formal discussions on India-Pakistan relations. “I’m not going there to discuss India-Pakistan relations,” he said, adding “I will behave myself accordingly.”
According to the experts, the decision to send the foreign minister reflects India’s commitment to the SCO, which has been instrumental in fostering regional security cooperation. They believe the summit presents an opportunity for India to strengthen ties within the SCO framework, despite the ongoing bilateral challenges.India
