October 7, 2024
The SCO, formed by China, Russia, and Central Asian nations, focuses on regional security and economic discussions
India and Pakistan joined the organisation in 2017, and India chaired it in 2023
Relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours remain tense, with a long-standing dispute over Kashmir
Jaishankar’s visit follows a similar trip by Pakistan’s foreign minister to India in 2023 for the SCO summit
India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar is set to attend the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Pakistan later this month, according to an official announcement by India’s Ministry of External Affairs. This will be the first visit by a senior Indian official to Pakistan in nearly a decade.
The trip follows Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, attending a similar SCO meeting in Goa, India, last year. His visit marked the first for a high-ranking Pakistani politician to visit India since 2011. However, both officials refrained from holding direct talks during the meeting, underscoring the strained relations between the two countries.
India and Pakistan have endured decades of tension, having fought three wars since gaining independence in 1947—two of which centred on the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. While both nations claim the territory in full, they only control parts of it, with the continued insurgency in Indian-administered Kashmir leading to thousands of deaths over the last three decades. India holds Pakistan responsible for supporting the insurgents, a charge Pakistan denies.
The SCO, established in 2001 by China, Russia, and four Central Asian nations, focuses on fostering cooperation in security and economic matters in Central Asia. It serves as a counterbalance to Western alliances like NATO. India and Pakistan became full members of the organisation in 2017.
This year’s SCO summit, hosted by Pakistan from 15-16 October, follows India’s chairmanship in 2023. Jaishankar’s visit will be the first since former Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj travelled to Islamabad in 2015 for a security conference. That trip was shortly followed by an unplanned visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Lahore, where he met then-Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, briefly raising hopes of improved relations.
However, bilateral ties reached a new low in 2019 following India’s airstrikes on Pakistani territory in response to a militant attack on Indian soldiers in Kashmir. Despite fleeting moments of engagement, such as Bhutto-Zardari’s visit to India in 2023, no significant diplomatic breakthroughs have been made.
Jaishankar’s upcoming visit could offer an opportunity for dialogue, although substantial progress remains uncertain.
Source: BBC