During the SCO meeting in Islamabad, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar delivered a powerful message to Pakistan, criticizing its role in cross-border terrorism and urging the nation to reflect on the deteriorating relationship between the two countries.
Jaishankar emphasized the need for introspection, stating, “If trust is lacking or cooperation inadequate, if the friendship has fallen short and good neighbourliness is missing somewhere, there are surely reasons to introspect and causes to address.”
He further remarked, “If activities across borders are characterized by terrorism, extremism and separatism, they are hardly likely to encourage trade, energy flows, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges in parallel.”
This follows a cordial exchange between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which occurred shortly after Jaishankar’s arrival in Islamabad for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. The brief interaction transpired during a dinner reception hosted by Sharif at his residence in honor of the SCO delegates.
During their meeting, Jaishankar and Sharif shared a warm handshake and engaged in a concise conversation. Sharif welcomed all leaders of the delegations from SCO member countries. Jaishankar’s flight landed at the Nur Khan airbase on the outskirts of Islamabad around 3:30 PM local time, where he was received by senior Pakistani officials.
This marks the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan in nearly nine years, despite ongoing tensions between the two nations surrounding the Kashmir issue and concerns over cross-border terrorism. Before Jaishankar’s departure to Pakistan, the Indian government reiterated its commitment to remaining actively involved in various SCO mechanisms.
Pakistan is hosting the two-day SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) summit on October 15 and 16. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), “The SCO CHG meeting is held annually and focuses on the trade and economic agenda of the Organisation.”
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