NEW DELHI: India is likely to participate in the SCO heads of govt meeting that will be held next month. However, the government is yet to decide whether foreign minister S Jaishankar will represent India at the meeting in Islamabad, like in the 2023 meeting in Bishkek.
TOI had first reported earlier that Pakistan had invited PM Narendra Modi for the meeting. Modi's participation, however, is restricted to the SCO heads of state summit. India has mostly been represented by foreign ministers at heads of govt meetings. A decision on Jaishankar's participation is expected after his return from the US next week. The heads of govt meeting will take place in Oct 15-16. If Jaishankar does visit Islamabad, this will be the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan in almost nine years.
His predecessor Sushma Swaraj had visited Pakistan in Dec 2015 for another multilateral event, on the sidelines of which she also had a bilateral meeting with her Pakistan counterpart. Jaishankar had accompanied her as then foreign secretary. On this occasion, a formal bilateral meeting is unlikely even if Jaishankar goes, given the troubled relationship.
Former Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari too had visited India last year for a meeting of SCO but there was no bilateral meeting then with his Indian counterpart. According to sources, any visit to Pakistan will be in line with SCO obligations. While the invite to India was more a formality than a peace outreach, it did open up possibility of a rare high-level visit from India.
TOI had first reported earlier that Pakistan had invited PM Narendra Modi for the meeting. Modi's participation, however, is restricted to the SCO heads of state summit. India has mostly been represented by foreign ministers at heads of govt meetings. A decision on Jaishankar's participation is expected after his return from the US next week. The heads of govt meeting will take place in Oct 15-16. If Jaishankar does visit Islamabad, this will be the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan in almost nine years.
His predecessor Sushma Swaraj had visited Pakistan in Dec 2015 for another multilateral event, on the sidelines of which she also had a bilateral meeting with her Pakistan counterpart. Jaishankar had accompanied her as then foreign secretary. On this occasion, a formal bilateral meeting is unlikely even if Jaishankar goes, given the troubled relationship.
Former Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari too had visited India last year for a meeting of SCO but there was no bilateral meeting then with his Indian counterpart. According to sources, any visit to Pakistan will be in line with SCO obligations. While the invite to India was more a formality than a peace outreach, it did open up possibility of a rare high-level visit from India.
