Pakistan Invites Indian PM Modi To SCO Meeting In Islamabad Amidst Tense Relations

Pakistan has officially invited Indian Prime Minister to the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit scheduled to take place in Islamabad on October 15-16. This announcement was made by Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch during her weekly press briefing.

Baloch confirmed that invitations had been extended to the leaders of SCO member states, including Modi. “An invitation has also been sent to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi,” Baloch stated, noting that some countries have already confirmed their attendance. Details regarding which countries have confirmed will be disclosed in due course, she added.

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The SCO heads of government meeting will be preceded by a ministerial gathering and several rounds of senior officials’ meetings. These preparatory sessions will address issues related to financial, economic, socio-cultural, and humanitarian cooperation among SCO member states.

Despite the formal invitation, analysts suggest that Prime Minister Modi is unlikely to attend the summit in person due to strained relations between India and Pakistan. Tensions between the two neighboring countries have been high since August 5, 2019, when India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir through a constitutional amendment.

Diplomatic Climate

Given the current diplomatic climate, it is anticipated that Modi might delegate a ministerial representative to the meeting, as past SCO gatherings have seen similar arrangements. Modi had previously been represented by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at the SCO’s 24th annual summit in Kazakhstan on July 3-4 this year.

Political analysts, including Kamran Yousaf, view the invitation as a standard diplomatic protocol rather than a political maneuver. “Extending invitations to PM Modi and other member states is a routine protocol for any host country,” Yousaf remarked. “I do not see this as a political stunt. However, it is unlikely that PM Modi will attend the meeting in Islamabad.”

In a notable exchange last year, then-Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited India for the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting, highlighting the ongoing diplomatic engagements between the two countries despite the challenges.