India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar confirmed on Saturday, that he would not engage in talks with Pakistan during his forthcoming visit to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. Jaishankar emphasized that his trip is focused on a multilateral event rather than on addressing bilateral relations with Pakistan.
“It (visit) will be for a multilateral event. I’m not going there to discuss India-Pakistan relations. I’m going there to be a good member of the SCO,” he remarked during an event in New Delhi.
Jaishankar, known for his diplomatic demeanor, hinted at the complexity of the relationship between the two nations, stating, “But, you know, since I’m a courteous and civil person, I will behave myself accordingly.” This statement reflects the ongoing challenges in India-Pakistan relations, particularly against the backdrop of rising tensions due to cross-border terrorism.
The minister also subtly criticized Pakistan, attributing the stagnation of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) initiative to its engagement in terrorism.
“At the moment, SAARC is not moving forward. We haven’t had a meeting of SAARC for a very simple reason—there is one member of SAARC who is practicing cross-border terrorism against at least one more member of SAARC, maybe more… Terrorism is something which is unacceptable,” he asserted. Jaishankar stressed that the continuation of such activities precludes any return to “business as usual” within the SAARC framework.
India’s firm stance is that it will not engage in any bilateral discussions with Pakistan until the latter ceases its support for cross-border terrorism. The upcoming SCO summit, scheduled for October 15 and 16 in Islamabad, marks the first visit by an Indian External Affairs Minister to Pakistan in nearly nine years, underscoring the frosty ties between the neighboring countries.
The last Indian External Affairs Minister to visit Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj, who attended an Afghanistan conference in December 2015. The recent announcement regarding Jaishankar’s participation was made by External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, who noted, “The External Affairs Minister will lead our delegation to Pakistan to participate in the SCO summit.”
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