Pakistan has extended an invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) heads of government meeting, scheduled to be held in Islamabad on October 15-16. The event will be preceded by ministerial meetings and several rounds of senior officials’ discussions focusing on financial, economic, socio-cultural, and humanitarian cooperation among SCO member states.
During a weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch confirmed that invitations have been sent to the leaders of all member countries, including India’s Prime Minister. She noted that some countries have already confirmed their participation, with further confirmations to be announced in due course.
When asked about Pakistan’s relationship with India, Baloch stated, “Pakistan does not have direct bilateral trade with India.”
Additionally, she mentioned that Pakistan’s foreign secretary is attending the 50th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Yaoundé, Cameroon, from August 29 to 30, where he will present Pakistan’s perspective on Gaza and Jammu and Kashmir and discuss terrorism and other global issues. She also condemned Israel’s bombing of a historic mosque in Khan Younis.
In May of the previous year, then-Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited India for the two-day SCO Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting, marking the first visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to India in nearly 12 years. Later, Bhutto-Zardari described the decision to participate in the event as “productive and positive,” particularly regarding the Kashmir issue, bilateral matters between Pakistan and India, and the broader responsibilities of multilateralism.
