PM Shehbaz, Indian FM Jaishankar shake hands at dinner for SCO leaders
ISLAMABAD: In a rare interaction between the leaders of arch-rival neighbors, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar shook hands during a dinner hosted for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders.
Jaishankar’s visit to Islamabad for the SCO summit marks the first time in nearly a decade that an Indian foreign minister has traveled to Pakistan. Islamabad is hosting the 23rd meeting of the SCO’s Council of Heads of Government (CHG) under tight security to ensure the event’s smooth progression.
Jaishankar’s plane landed at an airbase near Islamabad shortly before 3:30 pm, where he was welcomed with a bouquet of flowers presented by children, according to a foreign office official. He is among nearly a dozen leaders attending the summit, which will culminate with the main event on Wednesday.
This visit is significant, as it has been nearly ten years since an Indian foreign minister visited Pakistan, with relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors remaining strained. Both countries have confirmed that no bilateral meeting is planned.
While relations have occasionally seen brief improvements, they have mostly remained tense, especially after Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties in 2019 following India’s revocation of Article 370, which removed the special status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Foreign dignitaries have arrived in Islamabad for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, a significant event for the South Asian nation, which has not hosted such a high-profile gathering in years.
The SCO, a Eurasian security and political alliance established in 2001 by Russia and China, will see its member states represented by their top officials at the meeting.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will lead the high-level discussions, with the prime ministers of China, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan in attendance. Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref and India’s Foreign Minister are also scheduled to participate, according to a statement from Pakistan’s Foreign Office.
Additionally, the Prime Minister of Mongolia, representing an observer state, and the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan, attending as a special guest, will be part of the summit.
In preparation for the event, Islamabad was beautified with colorful lights, floral decorations, and flags and banners from SCO member countries. A red carpet welcome greeted the dignitaries, highlighting the importance of the occasion and the friendly ties between the nations. Children in traditional dress presented flowers to the arriving guests, with India’s Foreign Minister Jaishankar being the last to arrive at the time of the report.
