External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attends SCO Summit in Pakistan; meets Shehbaz Sharif during casual dinner
S Jaishankar, the Minister of External Affairs, has landed in the capital city of Pakistan, Islamabad, to attend the 23rd session of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). He also met Shehbaz Sharif during a casual dinner organized by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
The summit, lasting two days, has drawn top leaders from member states and is being held with strict security measures in place. Security concerns have led to the closure of important routes and businesses in both Islamabad and its neighboring city, Rawalpindi.
The Pakistan Prime Minister Office (PMO) uploaded a video on its social media page, welcoming S Jaishankar in Islamabad.
First Pakistan visit by an Indian Indian foreign minister in almost nine years
For the first time in almost nine years, an Indian foreign minister will be visiting Pakistan, despite the strained relations due to the Kashmir conflict and terrorism from Pakistan.
To prepare for the summit, Pakistani officials have implemented significant steps to deal with continued political turmoil and terrorist attacks. Troops have been sent across Islamabad, with hundreds of followers of imprisoned opposition leader Imran Khan being taken into custody. Recent restrictions on protests have been implemented, yet the PTI party in Pakistan canceled a scheduled demonstration.
Also read: Jaishankar to join SCO meeting, may attend dinner with Pak PM Shehbaz
In order to guarantee safety, the government of Pakistan announced a three-day public holiday in Islamabad beginning on Monday, with schools and businesses shut down and ample police and paramilitary forces securing the city.
Based on information from Pakistan’s interior ministry, the Red Zone, including the parliament, the diplomatic enclave, and the main summit venues, is being safeguarded by army troops.
The capital of Pakistan was heavily secured while Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Islamabad for the SCO meeting and a four-day bilateral visit. It has been 11 years since a Chinese premier last visited Pakistan, making Li’s visit the first in that time period. Li was welcomed by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the airport.
The leaders from SCO member states attending the summit include 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.
Pakistan took over the rotating chairmanship of the SCO CHG for 2023-24 during the last meeting in Bishkek in October 2023. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was established in 2001 during a summit in Shanghai with the participation of the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan were admitted as permanent members in 2017.
