Pakistan is preparing to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) heads of government meeting on October 15-16. This event will be preceded by a series of meetings, including a ministerial meeting and several rounds of senior officials’ discussions on financial, economic, socio-cultural, and humanitarian cooperation among the SCO member states.
Islamabad Announcement
On Thursday, Pakistan officially confirmed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to the forthcoming SCO meeting scheduled to take place in Islamabad in mid-October.
Invitations Issued
During her weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch announced that invitations had been dispatched to the leaders of all member countries, including India. "An invitation has also been extended to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Baloch stated, noting that several countries had already confirmed their attendance. "We will provide information in due course about which countries have confirmed," she added.
Pakistan is set to host the SCO heads of government meeting on October 15-16, which will include prior ministerial and senior officials’ meetings focusing on various forms of cooperation among the SCO member states.
Will PM Modi Attend the SCO Meeting in Islamabad? Expert Opinions
Experts view this invitation as a formal protocol, noting that PM Modi is unlikely to accept it given the strained relations between India and Pakistan since August 5, 2019, when India revoked Article 370, altering Jammu and Kashmir's status. It is anticipated that PM Modi might send a ministerial delegation instead, as the participation of heads of state is not mandatory for the SCO meeting.
Historically, India has been represented by ministers at SCO CHG meetings, and a similar approach is expected this time. For instance, PM Modi did not attend the SCO's 24th annual summit of heads of state in Kazakhstan on July 3-4 this year; instead, India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar represented the country in Astana. Pakistani analysts do not anticipate PM Modi's attendance at the upcoming meeting in Islamabad.
"Inviting PM Modi and other member states' leaders is a standard protocol for any host country. Pakistan has followed this protocol. I do not interpret this as a political maneuver. However, I do not foresee PM Modi coming to Islamabad," commented political analyst Kamran Yousaf. Last year, Pakistan's then-Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited India for the SCO Foreign Ministers' meeting.
