Modi to skip SCO Summit in Pakistan

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Jaishankar to lead Indian delegation at Islamabad SCO Summit

By Raisina Correspondent

New Delhi, October 4: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be attending the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Islamabad, Pakistan. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said that the prime minister will not be going to Pakistan for the SCO Summit.

Union Minister for External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will lead the Indian delegation at the SCO Summit in Islamabad, said the MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday.

Pakistan had extended invitation for Modi at the last SCO Summit in Astana. The prime minister had also skipped the SCO Summit at Astana, Kazakhstan. Jaishankar had led the Indian delegation at the Astana SCO Summit.

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India and Pakistan have no top leadership level official engagement for almost two decades now. India and Pakistan bilateral relations went into a tailspin after Islamabad sponsored the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai through its terror proxies, India has alleged at the United Nations.

The SCO is principally a security conclave for the Central Asia region. The SCO was founded by China. The SCO is also seen in diplomatic circles as Beijing’s playground.

India on a number of occasions has raised the issue of terrorism at the SCO Summit. India also has cordial relations with several of the SCO members, particularly from the Central Asia.

Pakistan will be using the SCO Summit to send out a message of business as usual in the Islamic country. International events seldom take place in Pakistan after terror attacks and sectarian violence turned the Islamic country unsafe for international events.

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The Pakistani government has said that Pakistan will project a soft image while hosting the SCO Summit. India is likely to insist on the SCO giving top priority to anti-terror activities.

The SCO Summit deliberations recently had also seen convergence of member nations on Afghanistan. The war-ravaged country is now ruled by the Taliban.

The western national have almost abandoned Afghanistan. The Taliban-ruled country had faced an outbreak of hunger last year after drought conditions swept through the country.

Yet, Afghanistan is also a source of security risk in the region while also being an origin nation for drug-trafficking globally.

The national security advisors of the SCO member nations will also meet in the run up to the summit during October 15-16 in Islamabad. India and Pakistan recently sparred at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Jaishankar had accused Pakistan of exporting terrorism. He warned that the policy of exporting terrorism will not go with impunity and there will be consequences.

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