Indian FM Jaishankar to visit Pakistan for SCO summit

Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will visit Pakistan later this month to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of Government summit, according to Indian media reports.

“EAM Jaishankar will lead a delegation to Pakistan for the SCO summit which will be held in Islamabad on 15th and 16th October,” confirmed MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a press briefing on Friday.

#WATCH | MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, “EAM Jaishankar will lead a delegation to Pakistan for the SCO summit which will be held in Islamabad on 15th and 16th October…” pic.twitter.com/HP7cSzH6AI

— ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2024

Jaishankar would be the first Indian foreign minister to visit Pakistan in almost 9 years. The last time an Indian External Affairs Minister visited Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj in December 2015.

Earlier, Pakistan had officially extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the SCO summit in Islamabad this October, according to a statement from the foreign office spokesperson.

The SCO meeting is scheduled to take place on October 15, 16 in Islamabad. Being a host, Pakistan has invited Indian PM Narendra Modi and other member states to visit Islamabad for the SCO meeting.

Meanwhile, a comprehensive security plan for the upcoming SCO summit was approved on Wednesday at a meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi.

Additional personnel from Pakistan Army, Rangers, FC and Punjab police will be deployed to ensure foolproof security for the guests, said Naqvi.

The SCO, comprising India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, is an influential economic and security bloc that has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations.

Both India and Pakistan are full-time members of the group led by Russia and China.

Pakistan’s then-foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited India in 2023 for a SCO foreign ministers’ meeting.