INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit,
which marked the first visit by New Delhi’s top envoy to its neighbor in nearly a decade.According to Indian media reports, no bilateral
talks are planned and Jaishankar’s visit will follow the SCO schedule.“India remains actively engaged in the SCO format,” India’s
Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday morning, adding that Jaishankar will travel to the summit to “represent India at the meeting.”The SCO
comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus
A further 16 countries are affiliated as observers or “dialogue partners”.Afghanistan, which is an observer nation, has not been invited
to attend the two-day event. With the SCO sometimes viewed as an alternative to the Western-dominated NATO military alliance, it has a
mandate to discuss security. This summit is due to focus on trade, security, humanitarian and cultural issues.The Islamic Emirate has
meanwhile said it hopes to attend the next summit, especially as it has bilateral relations with many SCO member nations. The summit
started on Tuesday and will wrap up on Wednesday. Pakistani authorities have taken stringent security measures in Islamabad for the
duration of the summit and all roads leading to the capital have been closed.The SCO member states will be represented by prime minister of
Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well as First Vice President of Iran and External Affairs Minister of
India.Premier of State Council of China Li Qiang will represent his country.The prime minister of Mongolia as Observer State and Deputy
Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan as Special Guest will also participate in the meeting.Due to the
SCO conference, hotels and business centers near Nur Khan Air Base and Islamabad Airport are closed.The post Indian foreign minister makes
rare visit to Pakistan for SCO summit first appeared on Ariana News.
