Senior Indian official visits Islamabad for SCO meeting after UN tensions

An Indian delegation led by Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary Alok Dimri attended a preparatory meeting for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Islamabad. This marks the first official Indian visit to Pakistan since Operation Sindoor last year. The three-day meeting of SCO National Coordinators began on Monday. Pakistan announced it will host the SCO Summit in August 2027 under the theme "Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity."

UN Tensions

The meeting comes days after India and Pakistan sparred over terrorism and Kashmir at the United Nations General Assembly. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif traded allegations during their speeches. Indian and Pakistani diplomats also exercised their rights of reply. On Tuesday, India rejected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's reference to Kashmir in his own UNGA speech.

Bilateral Stance

Alok Dimri represented India as Joint Secretary for Multilateral and Economic Relations. This is a higher level of participation than previous meetings this year, which were attended only by the Indian Charge d'affaires in Pakistan Satyapal Pandey. Indian officials clarified that the multilateral meeting has no significance for bilateral ties with Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received an invitation to the Heads of Council meeting in August 2027, but New Delhi has not yet confirmed his attendance.

Context

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance. It brings together countries like India, China, Russia, Pakistan, and Iran to cooperate on regional issues. Multilateral forums like the SCO operate independently of bilateral disputes between member states.