Editor
Pakistan has despatched a proper invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the assembly of heads of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) governments scheduled in the midst of October in Islamabad, official sources confirmed on Sunday.
They stated Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited Modi and different SCO leaders for the gathering of regional leaders on October 15 and 16 in Islamabad.
This is the primary time Pakistan invited the Indian chief in 8 years.
The final time Modi was invited to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit was in 2016. The summit by no means happened after India boycotted it and since then the regional organisation has been all however dysfunctional.
But skipping the SCO assembly in Islamabad won’t be simple for Modi given the presence of different highly effective nations.
If not in particular person, Modi might be a part of just about.
Diplomatic sources are sceptical that Modi would journey to Islamabad given the present state of the connection between the 2 neighbours.
But prior to now, such regional groupings supplied a possibility for the 2 nations to reset their ties. That appears unlikely now conserving in view the divergences within the positions of Pakistan and India for initiating the normalization course of.
SCO is a Eurasian political, financial, and safety alliance, based in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It has since expanded to incorporate India, Pakistan, and Iran as full members, with Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia as observers, and different nations as dialogue companions.
The SCO is usually seen as a counterbalance to Western alliances like NATO and performs a major function in fostering regional cooperation.
Pakistan attended all of the conferences of SCO hosted by India final yr both in particular person or just about.
Bilawal Bhutto visisted Goa for the assembly of SCO Foriegn Ministers in May 2023. India invited Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the SCO summit held in New Delhi.
Before Pakistan may resolve whether or not to attend the summit in New Delhi, India abruptly determined to host the assembly just about as a substitute of in particular person. It is believed that India determined on the final second due to its tensions with China and Pakistan.
The SCO is pivotal in addressing regional safety considerations, together with terrorism, extremism, and separatism. It conducts joint army workouts and intelligence sharing amongst member states.
The SCO promotes financial cooperation by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It seeks to boost commerce, vitality partnerships, and infrastructure improvement throughout Eurasia.
It additionally supplies a platform for member states to align on main worldwide points, typically advocating for a multipolar world order and difficult Western dominance in international affairs.
The twenty third SCO Summit was held on July 4, 2023, hosted by India by way of video convention.
