External Affairs Minister Jaishankar to go to Pakistan for SCO meet

In the first such visit since 2015, the External Affairs Minister will attend the SCO’s Heads of Government meeting in Islamabad this month; no bilateral meetings fixed yet, says MEA

In the first such visit in nearly a decade, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will travel to Islamabad to attend the Heads of Government (HoG) meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on October 15 and 16, the government announced on Friday.

The Ministry of External Affairs said that Mr. Jaishankar’s visit was “mainly” for the SCO grouping’s meeting, given India’s focus on “regional cooperation mechanisms”. No bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the meet have been decided thus far, it added.

The last time an Indian External Affairs Minister travelled to Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj in 2015 for the Heart of Asia conference and bilateral talks.

No bilateral meet yet

“Mr. Jaishankar will be leading India’s delegation to the SCO meeting,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told journalists at a weekly briefing. “As and when the program develops, the visit develops, we will keep you informed,” he said, when asked specifically whether there was any request from Pakistan for a bilateral meeting with its Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. 

According to sources, it is also unclear whether Mr. Jaishankar will stay in Islamabad overnight, as he may arrive just in time for the formal SCO meeting on October 16 by a special flight and return to New Delhi the same day.

Officials said the External Affairs Minister’s visit was based on “reciprocity”, given that despite bilateral tensions, Pakistan had sent its then-Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto to attend the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Goa in May 2023. It is also significant that the Narendra Modi-led government is sending a Minister for an SCO conference, but has refused to attend the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) summit due to be held in Pakistan since 2016. 

‘Pakistan stalling SAARC’

Responding to a question about the recent meeting between the new Bangladesh leader Muhammad Yunus and Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, where Mr. Yunus called for a “revival” of the eight-nation SAARC process, the spokesperson alleged that it was Pakistan that was “stalling SAARC”, not India.

“One particular country has a particular way of doing things, which is stalling SAARC,” said Mr. Jaiswal, referring to Pakistan’s refusal to move forward on India’s suggestions for a Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) and South Asian electricity grid initiatives. “We attach deep importance to regional cooperation, to regional connectivity and therefore, we have given an impetus to the BIMSTEC grouping and other platforms,” he added, indicating that India has had more success in dealing with its neighbours to the north, east and south, in the seven-nation Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

Committed to SCO

The invitation to the SCO meeting was sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the Pakistan government last month. Mr. Modi normally attends meetings at the Head of State level, and deputes either the External Affairs Minister or the Vice President in his place for the Heads of Government meet. As The Hindu had reported last month, the government was keen to send a high-level official for the SCO meeting, in order to express its commitment to the Eurasian grouping, especially after Mr. Modi cancelled his participation at the SCO Summit in Kazakhstan in July this year due to a scheduling issue.

While New Delhi has thus far avoided sending any Ministers for the SCO process in Pakistan, including the Trade Ministers’ meeting last month, the Heads of Government meeting is seen as an opportunity to meet with the Prime Ministers of several Central Asian States, as well as high-level dignitaries from Russia, China, Iran, and Belarus, which could not be missed. It is also an occasion to prepare the ground for Mr. Modi’s participation in the 10-nation BRICS Summit to be hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazan later this month, as many countries are members of both the SCO and BRICS, an official said. 

Visit post J&K poll

The officials held out little hope for any movement on the India-Pakistan peace process at present, although Mr. Jaishankar will have the opportunity to meet with the Pakistani leadership. The visit will come days after the announcement of results in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election, after which the Centre has committed to restoring the J&K’s Statehood. It remains to be seen whether such an announcement could pave the way for a restoration of some of the ties snapped by Pakistan after the reorganisation of J&K in 2019, particularly the recall of High Commissioners and the ending of trade and travel exchanges.

During the briefing, Mr. Jaiswal condemned Pakistan’s “warm welcome” to radical Islamic cleric Zakir Naik, an Indian national based in Malaysia, who is wanted for money laundering and hate speech in India. 

“It is not surprising for us that that an Indian fugitive, a fugitive from Indian law and justice has received a high-level welcome in Pakistan,” said Mr. Jaiswal, referring to Mr. Naik’s meeting with Mr. Sharif. “It is something which is disappointing, condemnable,” he said, confirming that India’s request to extradite Mr. Naik from Malaysia, which is still pending, was raised with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim when he visited India in August.

Published - October 04, 2024 04:35 pm IST