New Delhi: India is all set to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) national coordinators’ meeting, which will be held in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, from September 28 to 30. As per The Times of India report, quoting government sources, the meeting is expected to approve the calendar of events to be organised under Pakistan’s chairmanship.
These events will be held as part of preparations for the Council of Heads of State (CHS) summit, for which Islamabad is likely to soon invite leaders of all member countries of the Eurasian bloc, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It is important to note that since becoming a full member of the China-dominated grouping in 2017, India has actively participated in various SCO mechanisms. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has represented India at the summit of heads of state, while External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has attended meetings of the Council of Heads of Government.
India has kept its participation in the SCO separate from its ongoing bilateral differences with Pakistan. At the same time, India has consistently reminded the organisation that combating terrorism, extremism, and separatism was one of its founding objectives.
Here are some of the key details:
- The Modi government has supported the SCO’s connectivity initiatives, but with the condition that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected.
- As per the report, India’s National Coordinator, Alok Dimri, is expected to participate in the meeting of national coordinators beginning Monday.
- Officials from both India and Pakistan have continued to travel to each other’s countries for SCO-related exercises.
- External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar himself travelled to Pakistan in 2024 to attend the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting.
- Notably, there has been a lack of significant bilateral dialogue between India and Pakistan for nearly a decade
Will PM Modi Travel to Islamabad?
Now, the moot question is whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the summit scheduled to be held in Islamabad next year. It is important to note that Prime Minister Modi is reluctance to travel to Pakistan has stalled the SAARC summit process, and unless there is a major change in circumstances, his visit to Islamabad appears unlikely.
According to Indian officials, such a change could come only if Islamabad takes concrete and irreversible steps against cross-border terrorism and UN-designated terrorist organisations operating from Pakistan. The government recently strongly denied that it was engaged in any form of Track 2 dialogue with Islamabad.
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