India’s Foreign Minister to Attend SCO Meeting in Pakistan

India’s Foreign Minister, S. Jaishankar, will visit Pakistan this month to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, marking the first high-level Indian visit to the country in nearly a decade. This follows Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s attendance at a similar SCO meeting in India last year.

Historic Diplomatic Exchange

The last visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan was in 2015 when Sushma Swaraj attended a security conference in Islamabad. That visit was followed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise trip to Lahore, signaling a brief diplomatic thaw.

Long-Standing Tensions

India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed neighbors, have fought three wars since gaining independence in 1947, two of which were over the disputed region of Kashmir. Relations deteriorated further in 2019 after India launched strikes inside Pakistani territory in response to a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.

SCO: A Platform for Regional Dialogue

The SCO, founded in 2001 by China, Russia, and four Central Asian nations, focuses on security and economic cooperation in Central Asia. India and Pakistan became members in 2017. While this visit revolves around SCO discussions, it also offers a rare opportunity for diplomatic engagement between the two nations.

No Direct Talks Expected

Despite the significance of Jaishankar’s visit, no formal talks between India and Pakistan have been confirmed. Last year, Bhutto-Zardari emphasized that his visit to India was focused solely on SCO, urging India to take steps toward renewing peace talks.