Vikrant Shekhawat : Oct 14, 2024, 07:40 PM
SCO Summit 2024: India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on Tuesday to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference. The visit is important as relations between India and Pakistan have been tense for the past several years. This will be the first high-level visit to Pakistan from India, which is taking place in this tense atmosphere. Soon after arriving in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar will attend the welcome banquet of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif organized to welcome the SCO member countries.However, it has also been made clear that there will be no bilateral talks between Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar on the sidelines of the SCO conference. This means that relations between the two countries are unlikely to be discussed, and the visit will be limited to a multilateral event only.Indian Foreign Minister's visit to Pakistan after 9 yearsThis visit is also historic because an Indian Foreign Minister is visiting Pakistan after about nine years. Earlier, in 2015, the then Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Islamabad. Even at that time, there was tension in the relations between the two countries, especially over the issues of Kashmir and terrorism. Now that Jaishankar is going to Pakistan, problems remain between India and Pakistan over cross-border terrorism and Kashmir. This visit will be of less than 24 hours, which is mainly taking place for India's participation in the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting.Pakistan had also invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the SCO summit, but the selection of Jaishankar for this visit shows that India has decided to limit its participation mainly to the SCO.Importance of Jaishankar's visitThis visit of Jaishankar is considered important from many points of view. During his speech at a recent event, Jaishankar had said that India wants better relations with all its neighboring countries, including Pakistan. But, this relationship can happen only when Pakistan takes concrete steps towards ending cross-border terrorism. In such a situation, Jaishankar's visit reiterates India's position that relations with Pakistan cannot be normal without resolving the issue of terrorism.India's high-level representation for the SCO conference also makes it clear that India takes its commitment to this regional organization seriously. However, the decision to refuse any bilateral talks with Pakistan shows that India has not relaxed its stand.India's clear standIndia's stand has long been clear that it wants a normal, peaceful and cooperative neighborly relationship with Pakistan. However, India has always stressed that it is the responsibility of Pakistan to create the necessary environment for dialogue, especially on the issues of terrorism and hostility. Earlier, in May 2023, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited Goa under an SCO program, which was the visit of a Pakistani Foreign Minister to India after 12 years. In that visit too, no major progress was made on bilateral issues.Jaishankar's visit may not directly impact India-Pakistan relations, but it is definitely a diplomatic effort to prevent the growing gap between the two countries from deepening further. At the same time, India's presence on a platform like the SCO shows that India is fully capable and committed to fulfilling its international obligations.