Union External Affairs Dr Jaishankar is expected to arrive in the capital city of Pakistan for the SCO meeting. Pakistan PM Shebaz Sharif will host a dinner for all the delegates of the SCO meeting. Jaishankar has confirmed there won’t be any bilateral meetings about the ties between the two countries.
Jaishankar is not expected to spend more than 24 hours in the neighbouring country. The External Affairs Minister is going there as a good member of SCO. This is the first time in nine years an Indian diplomat has visited Pakistan for political obligations.
In addition to India and Pakistan, Russia, China, Iran, and four other Central Asian countries are expected to attend this meeting. Chinese Premier Li Qiang is also another notable figure of the meet. In his SCO address, Jaishankar is expected to highlight India’s concerns about terrorism, the need to respect sovereignty and territorial integrity while undertaking connectivity and infrastructure initiatives and also emphasise the concerns of the Global South.
Pakistan Divided on Jaishankar’s Arrival
All the eyes are fixed on the arrival of the EAM Dr Jaishankar. Despite denying bilateral talks, Pakistani politicians for their political gains have been highlighting the arrival of the Indian External Affairs Minister.
The opposition party PTI(Pakistan Tehreek – e- insaaf) lawmaker Muhammad Ali Saif has called all the delegates of the SCO meet to come and see the protest rally of PTI workers.
“All foreign delegations coming to Islamabad for the SCO Summit will be happy to see our protest and will appreciate the democratic practices and strength of our country… We would also invite Mr Jaishankar to address our anti-government protest and see for himself how strong Pakistan’s democracy is,” said Saif.
Responding quickly to the comment the ruling party leader Shahbaz Sharif criticized PTI’s move.
The ruling party’s Defence Minister has questioned the credibility of the PTI after the opposition has sought the validation of the Indian Foreign Affairs Minister.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Irfan Siddiqui alleged that the PTI only invited the Indian minister and no other dignitary to address their protest.
“Out of all the leaders, PTI invited only the Indian FM. It would be better if the PTI takes Jaishankar to more than 200 defence installations and destroyed monuments of martyrs,” he said while referring to the massive riots in the country on May 9, 2023.
Heightened Security Ahead of the SCO Meeting
Security has been increased in Islamabad as Pakistan is set to host the two-day SCO summit.
Pakistan’s main opposition called off its protest on Tuesday as the 23rd meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government (CHG) of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation begins here under tight security.
The two-day meeting will discuss ongoing cooperation in fields of economy, trade, environment and socio-cultural linkages and review the performance of the Organisation.
Pakistan assumed the rotating chair of the SCO CHG, the second highest forum within the SCO, for 2023-24 at the previous meeting, held in Bishkek in October 2023.
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