India’s Foreign Minister, S. Jaishankar, is set to visit Pakistan on October 15, 2024, to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. This would be the first time in nearly a decade that an Indian Foreign Minister would travel to Pakistan, signaling a cautious but notable step in the tumultuous relationship between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
What is the significance of this visit?
The SCO summit, hosted by Pakistan, is one of the few platforms on which India and Pakistan engage in high-level diplomatic interactions. Relations between the two countries remain strained, marked by conflicts over Kashmir and other geopolitical issues.
However, the decision to participate in the summit reflects both nations’ commitment to regional stability and economic cooperation, albeit within the confines of multilateral discussions.
Dr. Jaishankar’s visit is not merely symbolic but carries the weight of potential policy shifts. His presence at the SCO summit follows a reciprocal visit by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister to India in the previous year, suggesting a tentative pathway toward dialogue. While rooted in the SCO’s agenda, this exchange of visits subtly hints at a broader willingness to engage, even if direct bilateral talks remain complex.
Security has been heightened in Pakistan, with the army deployed from October 5 to 17 to ensure the summit’s success and security.
For India, led by Dr. Jaishankar, this visit could be seen as leveraging the SCO platform for regional cooperation, signaling strategic autonomy, and engaging with Central Asian states, which are crucial for India’s energy security and counter-terrorism efforts. The SCO, with members like China and Russia, also places India in dialogues that shape broader Asian security architecture.