New Delhi: Pakistan has formally invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Heads of Government meeting, scheduled to take place in Islamabad on October 15-16. This invitation was extended to all heads of member countries, including Prime Minister Modi, as confirmed by foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch during a weekly press briefing.
While some countries have already confirmed their participation in the SCO meeting, the official list of attendees has not been made public. India has not yet responded to the invitation.
Regarding bilateral relations with India, the spokesperson mentioned that Pakistan does not have direct bilateral trade with India. Last year, India hosted the SCO meeting in a virtual format and invited Pakistan to attend, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif participating through a video link.
In May 2023, Pakistan’s then foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, visited India to attend the in-person two-day meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers in Goa, marking the first visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to India in nearly 12 years.
Despite speculations that India had rejected the invitation to the SCO meeting, the Ministry of External Affairs reportedly denied these reports in an official statement. An MEA official was quoted as saying, “We have noticed several outlets are running news that the PM won’t attend a SCO meeting in Pakistan or EAM will attend a SCO meeting in Pakistan. MEA hasn’t commented on this matter and would request speculative news in this regard be avoided.”
Tensions between India and Pakistan have remained high over the years, primarily due to issues such as cross-border terrorism and the Kashmir dispute. India has consistently emphasized its desire for normalcy between the two nations, urging Islamabad to create a terror-free environment.
