Jaishankar 1st Minister In Nearly A Decade To Visit Pak. What's Expected

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today landed in Islamabad to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in the first visit to Pakistan by an Indian minister in nearly a decade.

Ilyas Mehmood Nizami, the Director General for South Asia at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, warmly received Mr Jaishankar at Nur Khan Airbase in Islamabad, a foreign statement said.

Children dressed in traditional attire presented bouquets to the foreign dignitaries. A red carpet was rolled out to welcome the guests, underscoring the importance of the event, it added.

It is the first time in nearly nine years that India's foreign minister has travelled to Pakistan. Ties between the two neighbours have remained frosty over the issue of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. India has, on multiple occasions, clearly stated that "talks and terror cannot go hand-in-hand", and Pakistan must "stop using terrorism as an instrument of state policy by harbouring and shielding terrorists."

The last Indian Foreign Minister to visit Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj. She had travelled to Islamabad in December 2015 to attend a conference on Afghanistan.

"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," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a brief statement in New Delhi.

'NO INDIA-PAK TALKS'

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 to Pakistan, which is the host nation for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit this time, is seen as a display of India's commitment to the SCO.

The foreign minister had earlier clearly stated that his visit to Islamabad was not to discuss "India-Pakistan relations", but instead, it is about the multilateral event - SCO Summit 2024. Speaking further about his visit, Mr Jaishankar had emphasised that he is travelling to Pakistan "only to be a good member of the SCO."

SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS

To ensure the safety and security of the 23rd SCO summit in Islamabad, the Pakistan Army has deployed to safeguard the event, key government buildings and the Red Zone area where state guests are staying.

The delegates will stay at different venues in Islamabad located within the 'Red Zone' or in its vicinity, as 14 locations in the capital have been arranged for their accommodation, Pakistani news website Dawn reported.

SCO MEETING IN PAKISTAN

According to the programme released by a spokesperson of Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif remains the only official engagement for the visiting leaders and delegations today.

The second day of the meeting will begin with Mr Sharif receiving leaders at Islamabad's Jinnah Convention Centre. The proceedings will begin following a group photograph and Prime Minister Sharif's opening remarks at the conference.

The signing of various documents will take place before Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming make their media statements. It will be followed by an official luncheon hosted by the country's PM.

The other SCO member states are represented by the Prime Ministers of China, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well as the First Vice President of Iran. Prime Minister of Mongolia (Observer State) and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan (Special Guest) will also participate in the meeting.

Mr Jaishankar is expected to be in Islamabad for only about 24 hours and no India-Pakistan bilateral engagement is scheduled or expected on the sidelines of the summit.

(Inputs from ANI, PTI, IANS)