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Jaishankar in Pakistan for landmark SCO summit
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad for the SCO meeting, marking the first visit in nine years.
New Delhi External affairs minister S Jaishankar briefly exchanged pleasantries with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday, shortly after arriving in Islamabad to participate in a key meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Jaishankar flew into Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi in an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft late on Tuesday afternoon, becoming the first Indian foreign minister to visit Pakistan in nine years. Both countries have played down the prospect of a bilateral meeting, with officials saying the focus is on the two-day SCO meeting.
“Landed in Islamabad to take part in SCO Council of Heads of Government Meeting,” Jaishankar said in a brief post on X.
Jaishankar was received at the airbase by Ilyas Mehmood Nizami, director general (South Asia) in Pakistan’s foreign ministry. His delegation included secretary (West) Tanmaya Lal and JP Singh, joint secretary for the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division in the external affairs ministry.
Hours after his arrival, Jaishankar joined other visiting leaders for an informal dinner hosted by the Pakistani premier. Footage beamed by state-run Pakistan Television showed Jaishankar being welcomed by Sharif on entering the venue for the dinner at the Prime Minister’s House.
Jaishankar and Sharif shook hands and spoke briefly, the first formal contact between leaders of the two sides since a similar encounter on the margins of another SCO meeting hosted by India in Goa last year.
Journalists were barred from the dinner and there was no word from both the Indian and Pakistani sides on the interaction.
Following the dinner, Jaishankar met Mongolia’s Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai on the margins of the SCO meeting. “Discussed strengthening our bilateral partnership,” Jaishankar said on X without giving details.
People familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that no talks were planned with the Pakistani leadership on the margins of the SCO gathering, though Jaishankar is expected to hold a few bilateral meetings on Wednesday.
Jaishankar will participate in the plenary session of the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting at the Jinnah Convention Centre on Wednesday. The visiting leaders will be received at the venue by Sharif.
After a group photo, Sharif will deliver the opening remarks, which will be followed by statements by leaders of the SCO member states. This will be followed by Sharif’s concluding remarks and a ceremony for signing of documents. Sharif will also host a lunch for the visiting leaders.
Coinciding with Jaishankar’s visit, former Pakistan Premier Nawaz Sharif and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari both called for efforts aimed at restoring dialogue between the two countries.
Nawaz Sharif, who is also president of the ruling PML-N party, told the media: “I have always been a supporter of good relations with India…I hope that there is an opportunity to revive our relationship.”
He said it “would have been a great thing if Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi had attended the SCO summit here in Pakistan” and added that he hoped the two sides “will have an opportunity to sit together in the not-so-distant future”.
Bhutto Zardari said that apart from issues such as Kashmir and terrorism, the two sides need to work together to tackle challenges such as climate change. He said India and Pakistan should come together to see what issues they can agree on in the context of terrorism to save lives in both countries.
Ahead of his visit, Jaishankar said the focus will be on the SCO meet, and not bilateral issues. “Like with any neighbour, India would certainly like to have good relations with Pakistan. But that cannot happen by overlooking cross-border terrorism and indulging in wishful thinking,” he said recently.
Though the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party called off a planned protest near the venue of the SCO meeting, the Pakistan government deployed more than 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel for the security of about 900 delegates.
The Pakistan Army was called in to provide security for the event, key government buildings and the “Red Zone” in the heart of Islamabad. Many businesses and roads in Islamabad and Rawalpindi were shut because of security reasons.
