Mumbai: Pakistan has extended an invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders for the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting, scheduled to be held in Islamabad on October 15-16. This invitation comes as Pakistan assumes the chairmanship of the CHG, the second-highest decision-making body within the SCO.
Despite the formal invitation, it is considered unlikely that PM Modi will travel to Islamabad, given the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan. According to reports from The Times of India, the strained bilateral relations may influence India’s response to the invitation.
In the previous year, India was represented by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at the CHG meeting held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. While PM Modi has regularly participated in the SCO heads of state summits, he missed this year’s summit in Kazakhstan due to a conflicting Parliament session.
The SCO, co-led by Russia and China, plays a critical role in fostering regional security and cooperation. However, India has maintained a cautious stance towards the organization, particularly concerning China’s growing influence within the group. Although Indian and Pakistani delegations have engaged in SCO exercises and meetings, high-profile visits between the two nations remain infrequent.
Recent tensions, notably the increase in terror attacks in Jammu, are likely to further impact India’s decision on whether to accept Pakistan’s invitation. The relationship between India and Pakistan remains complicated, particularly with Pakistan’s ongoing demand to reverse India’s 2019 decision to abrogate Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, a move that India considers final and non-negotiable.
The last high-level visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan occurred in 2015. As the date of the SCO CHG meeting approaches, the diplomatic community will be closely watching India’s response and the potential implications for regional dynamics within the SCO.
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