India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is set to visit Pakistan on Tuesday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, marking the first trip by an Indian foreign minister to the country in nearly 10 years.
Jaishankar will attend the summit in Islamabad to represent India at the SCO meeting, according to India’s foreign ministry. Both New Delhi and Islamabad have confirmed that no bilateral talks are planned during the visit, with Jaishankar expected to strictly follow the summit’s schedule.
India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed nations, have a long history of hostility, having fought several wars since their separation during the partition of the subcontinent in 1947. Their relationship remains strained, particularly over the Kashmir issue.
The SCO, which focuses on regional cooperation and security, comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus, with 16 more countries involved as observers or dialogue partners. The organization is often seen as a counterbalance to NATO and other Western-led alliances.
"India remains actively engaged in the SCO format," India’s foreign ministry stated ahead of the summit. While the SCO typically addresses security matters, this year’s discussions are expected to focus on trade, humanitarian, and cultural cooperation.
The last time an Indian foreign minister visited Pakistan was in 2015, when then-Minister Sushma Swaraj attended a conference on Afghanistan. That same year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Lahore to meet Pakistan’s then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, sparking brief hopes of improved ties between the two countries.
However, relations between the two nations worsened in 2019 when India revoked the special autonomy of Indian-administered Kashmir, a move that led Pakistan to suspend bilateral trade and downgrade diplomatic ties with New Delhi. Kashmir remains a heavily disputed region, with both India and Pakistan claiming it in full.
In 2023, Pakistan’s former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attended an SCO meeting in Goa, India. However, during that visit, Jaishankar and Bhutto Zardari exchanged harsh words, and no direct talks took place.
As Jaishankar prepares to attend the SCO summit in Islamabad, the focus remains on the broader multilateral discussions, with little expectation of progress in bilateral relations between India and Pakistan.
Jaishankar will attend the summit in Islamabad to represent India at the SCO meeting, according to India’s foreign ministry. Both New Delhi and Islamabad have confirmed that no bilateral talks are planned during the visit, with Jaishankar expected to strictly follow the summit’s schedule.
India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed nations, have a long history of hostility, having fought several wars since their separation during the partition of the subcontinent in 1947. Their relationship remains strained, particularly over the Kashmir issue.
The SCO, which focuses on regional cooperation and security, comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus, with 16 more countries involved as observers or dialogue partners. The organization is often seen as a counterbalance to NATO and other Western-led alliances.
"India remains actively engaged in the SCO format," India’s foreign ministry stated ahead of the summit. While the SCO typically addresses security matters, this year’s discussions are expected to focus on trade, humanitarian, and cultural cooperation.
The last time an Indian foreign minister visited Pakistan was in 2015, when then-Minister Sushma Swaraj attended a conference on Afghanistan. That same year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Lahore to meet Pakistan’s then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, sparking brief hopes of improved ties between the two countries.
However, relations between the two nations worsened in 2019 when India revoked the special autonomy of Indian-administered Kashmir, a move that led Pakistan to suspend bilateral trade and downgrade diplomatic ties with New Delhi. Kashmir remains a heavily disputed region, with both India and Pakistan claiming it in full.
In 2023, Pakistan’s former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attended an SCO meeting in Goa, India. However, during that visit, Jaishankar and Bhutto Zardari exchanged harsh words, and no direct talks took place.
As Jaishankar prepares to attend the SCO summit in Islamabad, the focus remains on the broader multilateral discussions, with little expectation of progress in bilateral relations between India and Pakistan.
