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Jaishankar to travel to Pak, first EAM in 9 years

October 04, 2024

India on Friday announced that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will travel to Pakistan to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in mid-October. 

The announcement was made by external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. 

The last Indian external affairs minister to visit Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj. 

She had travelled to Islamabad in December 2015 to attend a conference on Afghanistan. 

Pakistan is hosting the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting on October 15 and 16. 

"The external affairs minister will lead our delegation to Pakistan to participate in the SCO summit which will be held in Islamabad on October 15 and 16," Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing. 

The spokesperson clarified that the external affairs minister is travelling to Pakistan only to attend the SCO summit. 

In August, Pakistan invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the SCO's summit. Jaishankar's visit to Pakistan assumes significance as it is seen as a major decision on New Delhi's part. -- PTI
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