Jaishankar to lead Indian delegation to Pakistan for SCO Summit
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be leading the Indian delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan. The summit is scheduled for October 15-16. MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the announcement during a press meeting. He said, "EAM Jaishankar will lead a delegation to Pakistan for the SCO summit which will be held in Islamabad on 15th and 16th October."
What Jaishankar said about Pakistan at UNGA
Jaishankar's visit to Pakistan comes nearly a month after he criticized the neighboring country for cross-border terrorism during the United Nations General Assembly. He had said, "Many countries are left behind due to circumstances beyond their control, but some make conscious choices with disastrous consequences. A premier example is our neighbour, Pakistan."
Pakistan to host SCO meeting under rotating chairmanship
Pakistan, currently holding the rotating chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG), will host the two-day in-person meeting. The heads of state level meeting is typically attended by presidents and prime ministers. However, this year Prime Minister Narendra Modi skipped the Kazakhstan summit due to a clash with the Parliament session in early July.
India's participation in SCO meetings since 2017
Since 2017, India has been represented at the SCO council of heads of government level by either the external affairs minister or defense minister. Last year, Jaishankar attended the meeting in Bishkek. In 2020, when India hosted a virtual SCO head of government level meeting, Pakistan was represented by its parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs.
Which countries are in SCO
The SCO, comprising India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan is an influential economic and security bloc. It has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organizations. Known as the "alliance of the East," the SCO covers three-fifths of the Eurasian continent and nearly half of the human population. It represents around 42% of the world's population and 20% of global GDP.
