This could serve as template for India to participate in other SCO meetings, including October’s heads of state summit
Special Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: The Indian trade minister will virtually attend the upcoming meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) being hosted by Pakistan, officials familiar with the development said here on Tuesday.
The SCO trade ministers meeting will be held in Islamabad on Thursday, according to officials.
Pakistan invited India along with other SCO members for the meeting. India, according to sources, confirmed its participation online, meaning its trade minister will not travel to Pakistan.
This may serve as a template for India to attend other SCO meetings including the council of heads of governments meeting to be held in Islamabad in October.
Pakistan already sent an invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the meeting. It is expected that India, like the trade ministers meeting, will join the October 15 and 16 hurdle through online.
India is unlikely to attend the SCO meeting in person but other member countries are expected to send their high-powered delegations. China already confirmed that its prime minister would undertake a visit to Islamabad for the SCO meeting as well as bilateral visit.
SCO is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance, founded in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It has since expanded to include India, Pakistan, and Iran as full members, with Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia as observers, and other countries as dialogue partners. The SCO is often seen as a counterbalance to Western alliances like NATO and plays a significant role in fostering regional cooperation.
Pakistan attended all the meetings of SCO hosted by India last year either in person or virtually.
Then foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari visited Goa for the meeting of SCO Foreign Ministers in May 2023. India extended the invitation to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the SCO summit held in New Delhi. Before Pakistan could take a decision whether to attend the summit in New Delhi, India suddenly decided to host the meeting virtually instead of in person. It is believed that India took the decision at the last moment because of its tensions with China and Pakistan.
