Pakistan is set to host the Council of Heads of Government meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the federal capital today and tomorrow (Tuesday and Wednesday). Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will preside over the high-level discussions, with stringent arrangements made to ensure the event runs smoothly.
The meeting will feature participation from prime ministers and high-ranking officials of SCO member states, including Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and the First Vice President of Iran. Notably, External Affairs Minister of India S. Jaishankar and Premier of the State Council of China, Li Qiang, will represent their respective countries.
Additionally, the Prime Minister of Mongolia, as an observer state, will be joined by the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and the Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan as special guests.
Key topics on the agenda include ongoing cooperation in economy, trade, environment, and socio-cultural linkages, alongside a review of the SCO’s performance. Prime Minister Shehbaz will also assume the chair of the SCO Council of Chief Executives/Heads of Government for a one-year term, taking over from India, which has held the position for 17 months.
On the sidelines of the summit, PM Shehbaz is expected to hold significant bilateral meetings with visiting heads of delegations.
Jaishankar’s Historic Visit
Indian Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar will represent Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the summit, marking the first visit by an Indian External Affairs Minister to Pakistan in nearly a decade. His stay in Islamabad is expected to last about 24 hours, returning to India on Wednesday evening.
Jaishankar is scheduled to attend a welcome dinner hosted by PM Shehbaz at the PM House for the delegates on Tuesday. Although both countries have ruled out a formal bilateral meeting during this visit, interactions between the visiting minister and Pakistani officials, including PM Shehbaz and Deputy PM Senator Ishaq Dar, are anticipated prior to the main summit.
Jaishankar has emphasized that his visit is to fulfill his responsibilities as a “good member” of the SCO, which includes Pakistan, China, Russia, Iran, India, and four Central Asian nations. The last Indian External Affairs Minister to visit Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj in December 2015, and since India became a member of the SCO in 2017, the Indian Prime Minister has never attended the annual meeting of the Council of Heads of Government.
The Indian High Commission’s media wing has reported that there are no scheduled media interactions with the External Affairs Minister during his visit.
