“It’s a positive development. The Prime Minister attends these meetings, and I’m pleased that S. Jaishankar is going; Pakistan has invited him. I think he will engage in discussions beyond the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) focused on how to promote peace between these nations—through friendship, not animosity,” the National Conference leader remarked.
Abdullah also criticized the ongoing attacks in Israel, emphasizing that war is not the solution if we aim to save the world. “The situation in West Asia particularly with Israel bombarding Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Palestine is troubling. To preserve the world, we cannot rely on war; it only leads to the death of innocents. Achieving success through dialogue is vital, and I hope Pakistan will engage in discussions about moving forward,” he stated.
The conflict in West Asia intensified following Iran’s launch of approximately 200 ballistic missiles at targets in Israel on October 1, as a response to Israel’s recent actions against Hezbollah and Hamas leaders, as reported by Al Jazeera. Israeli military reports indicated that the majority of the missiles were intercepted, resulting in no casualties.
National Conference provincial president Rattan Lal Gupta expressed support for the government’s decision to participate in the SCO meeting. “We welcome this initiative. The National Conference has consistently advocated for maintaining positive relations with our neighbors, particularly Pakistan, and for initiating dialogue with them. The Foreign Minister’s visit to Pakistan is welcomed, and I hope it will lead to new avenues for communication. As former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said, we can change friends but not neighbors. Good relations with our neighbors will foster progress on both sides,” he added.
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However, the External Affairs Minister clarified that his primary purpose for visiting Pakistan is the SCO. “I anticipate significant media interest due to the nature of our relationship. Nonetheless, I want to emphasize that my visit is for a multilateral event; I am not going there to discuss India-Pakistan relations. I will be a courteous and civil participant,” he said.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a permanent intergovernmental international organization established on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Its predecessor was the mechanism of the Shanghai Five.
Currently, the SCO includes nine member states: India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The SCO also has three observer states—Afghanistan, Mongolia, and Belarus—and 14 dialogue partners, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan, which holds the rotating chairmanship of the SCO, is scheduled to host the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) in Islamabad this October. Earlier in August, India received an invitation from Pakistan for the in-person SCO CHG meeting. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed this invitation during an August briefing.
(WITH INPUTS FROM ANI)
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