Jaishankar's visit to Pakistan is the first high-level visit from India in years amid continuing strain in ties between the two neighbours. The last Indian Foreign Minister to visit Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj.
Switching his spectacles for sunglasses, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made a bold entry to Pakistan on Tuesday, October 15, to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), for which the protesting main opposition party Pakistan Tehreeki-Insaf (PTI) called off its stir over ban on all kinds of meetings with inmates in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi, where its leader Imran Khan is lodged.
The two-day SCO meeting will discuss ongoing cooperation in fields of economy, trade, environment and socio-cultural linkages and review the performance of the Organisation.
Pakistan In SCO: Pakistan assumed the rotating chair of the SCO CHG, the second highest forum within the SCO, for 2023-24 at the previous meeting, held in Kyrgyzstan's Bishkek in October 2023. The 23rd meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government (CHG) will be chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Who Are Attending: Apart from Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Belarus Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, Kazakhstan Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Tajik Prime Minister Kohir Rasulzoda, Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, Kyrgyzstan’s Chairman of Ministers Cabinet Zhaparov Akylbek, and Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref are participating.
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Jaishankar's Visit To Pak: Jaishankar's visit to Pakistan is the first high-level visit from India in years amid continuing strain in ties between the two neighbours. The last Indian Foreign Minister to visit Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj. She had travelled to Islamabad in December 2015 to attend a conference on Afghanistan. Both sides had ruled out any bilateral talks between Jaishankar and his Pakistan counterpart Ishaq Dar on the sidelines of the SCO heads of government summit.
Jaishankar's Handshake With Pak PM: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday exchanged pleasantries with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, hours after landing in the Pakistani capital. The brief exchange and handshake between Jaishankar and Sharif took place at a banquet dinner hosted by the Pakistani prime minister at his residence in honour of the delegates attending the SCO event.
India-Pak Ties: The already volatile relations between India and Pakistan came under severe strain after Indian warplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot in Pakistan in February 2019 in response to a terror attack in J&K's Pulwama that year. The relations strained further deteriorated India announced the withdrawal of special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and the bifurcation of the state into two union territories on August 5, 2019. Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with India after New Delhi abrogated Article 370.
Heavy Security In Pak: Elaborate security measures were put in place in Pakistan for the SCO meet, with the deployment of about 10,000 police personnel who have the support of paramilitary rangers and regular army troops. The government announced three-day official leave in the capital and neighbouring Rawalpindi to avoid unnecessary hassle during the conference. Section 144 has also been imposed in the twin cities to outlaw all gatherings.
PTI Calls Off Stir: Pakistan’s main opposition party PTI called off its protest on Tuesday ahead of the commencement of the SCO meeting. The Pakistan Tehreeki-Insaf last night agreed to call off its protest in the capital after the assurance by the government that a medical team would be allowed to meet its jailed leader and former prime minister Imran Khan.