Jaishankar lands in Islamabad as India swears by SCO, but no bilaterals

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday landed in Islamabad to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, in the first visit to Pakistan by a high-ranking Indian minister in nearly a decade that came amid frosty ties between the two neighbours.

Jaishankar's aircraft landed at the Nur Khan airbase on the outskirts of the Pakistani capital city at around 3:30 pm (local time) and he was greeted by senior Pakistani officials.

It is the first time in nearly nine years that India's foreign minister travelled to Pakistan even as the ties between the two neighbours remained tense over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

The external affairs minister will lead the Indian delegation at the SCO Council of Heads of Government summit on Wednesday.

"Landed in Islamabad to take part in SCO Council of Heads of Government Meeting," Jaishankar posted on 'X' along with photographs of children and officials welcoming him with flowers at the airport.

The last Indian foreign minister to visit Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj.

She had travelled to Islamabad to attend the 'Heart of Asia' conference on Afghanistan held from December 8-9, 2015.

Jaishankar, who was then India's foreign secretary, was part of Swaraj's delegation.

During the visit, Swaraj held talks with her then counterpart Sartaj Aziz.

Following the Swaraj-Aziz talks, a joint statement was released in which both sides announced their decision to start a Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue.

Little over two weeks after Swaraj's trip, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sprang a surprise with a 150-minute visit to Lahore on his way back home from Kabul.

Modi visited the ancestral home of his then-Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif and had talks to open ways for peace.

However, a series of terror attacks on India by Pakistan-based terrorists significantly strained the ties subsequently.

Before Jaishankar left for Pakistan, India on Tuesday said that it remains actively engaged in various mechanisms of the SCO.

Pakistan is hosting the two-day SCO Council of Heads of Government summit on October 15 and 16.

"The SCO CHG meeting is held annually and focuses on the trade and economic agenda of the Organisation," the ministry of external affairs said.

"External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will represent India at the meeting. India remains actively engaged in the SCO format, including various mechanisms and initiatives within the SCO framework," it said in a brief statement in New Delhi.

On Tuesday evening, Jaishankar is set to attend a banquet reception to be hosted by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to welcome the delegates from the SCO member nations, people familiar with the matter said.

Both sides have already ruled out any bilateral talks between Jaishankar and his Pakistan counterpart Ishaq Dar on the sidelines of the SCO heads of the government summit.

Jaishankar's visit to Pakistan assumes significance as it is seen as a significant decision on New Delhi's part.

In his recent address at an event, Jaishankar said, "like with any neighbour, India would certainly like to have good relations with Pakistan."

"But that cannot happen by overlooking cross-border terrorism and indulging in wishful thinking."

The decision to send the senior minister is seen as a display of India's commitment to the SCO. China, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will be represented by their prime ministers while Iran's First Vice President will be attending the summit.

The ties between India and Pakistan came under severe strain after India's warplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot in Pakistan in February 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack.

The relations further deteriorated after India on August 5, 2019, announced the withdrawal of special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and the bifurcation of the state into two union territories.

Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with India after New Delhi abrogated Article 370.

India has been maintaining that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan while insisting that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment free of terror and hostility for such engagement.

Pakistan's then foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited India in May 2023 to attend an in-person meeting of the foreign ministers of SCO nations in Goa.

It was the first visit of a Pakistani foreign minister to India in almost 12 years.