Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal has expressed concerns about External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar‘s upcoming trip to Pakistan. Specifically, Jaishankar will lead the Indian delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2024.
In light of this, Sibal raised an important question: “With the invitation to Heads of Government for the SCO Summit, Jaishankar‘s visit to Islamabad marks the first in nine years. What has India gained? What has Pakistan lost?” He added, “I don’t have an answer!”
Furthermore, on Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed Jaishankar’s travel to Pakistan for the SCO summit on October 15-16. This visit is particularly significant, especially given the long gap in high-level interactions between the two nations.
During a media briefing, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal provided details about India’s participation. He stated, “EAM Jaishankar will lead a delegation to Pakistan for the SCO summit“. When pressed for more information, Jaiswal noted, “Yes, we have received an invitation from Pakistan for the Council of Heads of Government meeting. We don’t have any updates at this moment, but we will inform you later”.
Moreover, this summit comes after a notable event in May 2023. At that time, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited India for the SCO meeting in Goa. This marked the first visit by a Pakistani Foreign Minister to India in six years. Thus, such exchanges highlight the complex nature of India-Pakistan relations.
To provide some context, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organization. It was established on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Since then, the SCO has expanded to include nine member states: India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Additionally, the SCO has three observer states: Afghanistan, Mongolia, and Belarus.
At the Samarkand SCO Summit in 2022, the process began to elevate Belarus’s status within the organization to that of a member state. Furthermore, the SCO also has 14 dialogue partners. These include Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Sri Lanka.
As Jaishankar prepares for this historic visit, many questions remain. For instance, what will be the implications for India-Pakistan relations? What outcomes may arise from this renewed engagement?
In conclusion, the diplomatic community and citizens will be watching closely. This summit could have significant ramifications for regional cooperation in the future.
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