Islamabad, 26 August 22024 (TDI): With the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit meeting set for mid-October in Islamabad, official sources revealed on Sunday that Pakistan had extended a formal invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The sources claim that Modi and other SCO leaders were invited by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the meeting of regional leaders in Islamabad on October 15 and 16. In the last eight years, Pakistan has not invited the Indian leader before.
Narendra Modi received an invitation to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) meeting last year. India boycotted the meeting, which never happened, and ever since, the regional organization has all but collapsed.
It will be difficult for Modi to miss the SCO meeting, though because other strong nations will be there. Given the current condition of bilateral relations, diplomatic sources were skeptical that Indian Prime Minister Modi would visit Pakistan; if not in person, he would participate online.
Historically, these kinds of regional alliances have given the two nations a chance to start again with their relations. Considering how differently Pakistan and India have positioned themselves to start the normalization process that seems improbable today.
Founded in 2001, the SCO is an alliance encompassing Eurasian politics, economy, and security, consisting of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Since then, it has grown to include Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia as observers in addition to full members India, Pakistan, and Iran.
The organization also includes a few more nations as discussion partners.
Significant contributions to regional cooperation are made by the SCO, which is frequently viewed as an alternative to Western alliances such as NATO.
Pakistan participated in all of the SCO meetings that India held last year, both in person and online.
In May 2023, Goa hosted a summit of the SCO foreign ministers, which was pushed by the then-foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has received an invitation from India to attend the SCO summit in New Delhi. India abruptly made the decision to hold the summit virtually rather than in person before Pakistan had a chance to determine whether or not to attend.
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Tensions between India and Pakistan and China are thought to have prompted India to make this decision at the last minute.
Regarding issues of regional security, such as separatism, terrorism, and extremism, the SCO plays a crucial role. The member states participate in cooperative defense exercises and intelligence exchange.
With projects like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the SCO fosters economic cooperation. Its goals include expanding infrastructure development, trade, and energy relationships throughout Eurasia.
It also offers a forum for member nations to come together on important international matters, frequently supporting a multipolar world order and opposing Western hegemony in international relations.
Using a video conference, India hosted the 23rd SCO Summit on July 4, 2023. Being the first summit to be led by India after the country’s full membership in the SCO in 2017 was a historic occasion for the organization. The high-profile SCO meeting will now be hosted by Pakistan.
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