India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to Attend SCO Heads of Government Conference in Pakistan

• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will attend the SCO Heads of Government meeting in Islamabad for the first time in nearly a decade.
• The visit is primarily for the SCO grouping’s meeting, with no bilateral meetings on the sidelines yet decided.
• The last Indian External Affairs Minister to visit Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj in 2015 for the Heart of Asia conference and bilateral talks.
• It’s unclear whether Jaishankar will stay in Islamabad overnight, as he may return to New Delhi the same day.
• The visit is based on “reciprocity,” as Pakistan sent its then-Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto to attend the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Goa in May 2023.
• The Narendra Modi-led government is sending a Minister for an SCO conference but has refused to attend the SAARC summit.