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Indian Official Attends SCO Meeting in Pakistan
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In Short: The Indian delegation's attendance at the SCO meeting highlights five key takeaways. First, despite the strained relations, India is engaging with Pakistan in multilateral forums.
India dispatched a senior official to Pakistan this week for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) national coordinators' meeting, marking the first visit by an Indian delegation since Operation Sindoor last year.
The meeting took place in Islamabad, where Pakistan assumed the presidency following the Bishkek summit on August 31-September 1. Alok Dimri, a 1998-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, led the Indian delegation.
This visit is significant given the current state of bilateral ties between India and Pakistan. It is also the first such visit since External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar travelled to Pakistan for the SCO heads of government meeting in October 2024.
The Indian delegation's attendance at the SCO meeting highlights five key takeaways. First, despite the strained relations, India is engaging with Pakistan in multilateral forums. Second, the visit underscores the ongoing geopolitical dynamics, with the US seen to side with Pakistan while India portrays Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Third, China, Pakistan's long-standing ally, provided support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, including weapons and live satellite intelligence. Fourth, the unfavourable geopolitical environment has compelled India to maintain engagement with both Pakistan and China in multilateral settings.
Fifth, the decision to send a senior official to the SCO meeting is a political call, and the dates for any future high-level visits remain to be announced.
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- Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting and writing explainers and analysis on foreign affairs for about 19 years now.