ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed foreign dignitaries, including India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, at a special dinner for the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Islamabad on Tuesday.
The SCO comprises China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus — with 16 more countries associated as observers or “dialogue partners”.
At the dinner reception, Prime Minister Shehbaz warmly greeted and shake hands with the dignitaries, including Jaishankar, in a rare encounter between the leaders of the two rival nations.
Their brief conversation marked the first direct contact between senior Pakistani and Indian officials in nearly a decade, even though both sides have ruled out any formal bilateral talks during the summit.
Jaishankar’s arrival in Pakistan represents the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to the country in almost ten years, amidst strained relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Director General for South Asia, Ilyas Mehmood Nizami, and other Pakistani officials received Jaishankar after his plane touched down at the Nur Khan Airbase. On arrival, he was presented with a bouquet by children.
As the current Chair of the CHG, Prime Minister Shehbaz will preside over the SCO summit, which will focus on regional cooperation in economic, political, and security matters. Leaders from China, Russia, Iran, and several Central Asian countries, along with special guests from Mongolia and Turkmenistan, are also participating in the event.
Pakistan’s federal capital has been adorned with colorful lights, floral decorations, and flags of the SCO member states to welcome the high-profile guests.
The SCO, founded in 2001 by China and Russia, now includes Pakistan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, and Iran, with 16 other countries affiliated as observers or dialogue partners.
The SCO summit will conclude on Wednesday after discussions on strengthening regional cooperation in areas such as trade, environment, and socio-cultural linkages.
Despite the absence of formal talks between Pakistan and India, Jaishankar’s presence at the summit has drawn attention due to the longstanding tensions between the two countries. Diplomatic ties have remained largely frozen since 2019, when Pakistan downgraded its relations with India following New Delhi’s revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
The SCO, often considered as a regional counterbalance to NATO, continues to play a key role in fostering cooperation between its member states, despite political differences.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will assume the chairmanship of the CHG for a one-year period, taking over from India.
