India, Pakistan in rare handshake moment

Bilawal, Jaishnakar exchange pleasantries at SCO dinner in Goa

GOA, INDIA:

Foreign Ministers of Pakistan and India on Thursday shook hands and exchanged pleasantries at the dinner hosted for the delegates of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Goa on Thursday.

A Pakistani official present at the dinner confirmed to The Express Tribune that there was handshake between the two foreign ministers. Bilawal was the last minister to enter the venue. On his arrival Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishnakar stood up and shook his hands.

The official, however, downplayed it as a routine courtesy. Another official part of the Pakistani delegation said that they were treated well so far. “They treated us the same way as other delegates. The environment was cordial and positive,” the second official said.

Bilawal arrived in the Indian coastal resort of Goa on Thursday to take part in the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers. The foreign minister was received at the airport by senior officials of the Indian External Affairs Ministry.

“I am very happy that today I have arrived here leading the delegation of Pakistan,” the foreign minister told reporters upon his arrival. He hoped the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) would be very successful.

Prior to his arrival, Bilawal posted a video on Twitter, saying that his “decision to attend this meeting illustrates Pakistan’s strong commitment to the charter of SCO”. He said that his visit was focused exclusively on the SCO. “I look forward to constructive discussions with my counterparts from friendly countries.”

In Islamabad, the Foreign Office said in a statement that Pakistan’s participation in the two-day meeting reflected Pakistan’s commitment to the SCO Charter, processes and the importance that Islamabad accords to the region in its foreign policy priorities.

Hundreds of thousands throng to Goa every year, but fewer tourists visit the former Portuguese colony in the month of May because it is off season.

Nevertheless, Indian chose off season to host the SCO huddle that has generated lot of interest.

The SCO comprises China, Russia, Pakistan, India, and key Central Asian States. India, the current chair of the eight-member bloc, is hosting a series of events, including the CFM. The SCO-CFM usually doesn’t get much traction, but this is not the case this year.

The Goa meeting has generated much interest because the foreign minister of Pakistan is in attendance. He is the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India since 2011and also the first by a senior Pakistani official since 2016, when Sartaj Aziz went to Delhi.

The foreign minister is accompanied by the foreign secretary and other senior officials on a visit that rekindles the hopes for an unlikely thaw in the relationship between the two countries.

“No matter what the forum is, when somehow Indian and Pakistani officials are in attendance it always overshadows the main event,” commented an Indian journalist, who otherwise was planning to cover meeting from New Delhi but had to change plans after Bilawal decided to attend.

But despite this hype Pakistan and India are treating this as a routine event. There is a general sense here that there is no appetite at the moment from the Indian side to re-engage with Pakistan.

Bilawal, too, dropped a clear hint that he had no plans to meet his Indian counterpart. But there will be occasions during the conference when Bilawal and S Jaishnakar will come face to face.

“Even there is a handshake or exchange of smiles that must not be seen as a breakthrough,” said a senior Foreign Office, official while requesting anonymity. “But if there is a pull-aside meeting that will certainly be a breakthrough,” the official added.

Meanwhile, on the first day of his visit Bilawal held a bilateral meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. During the meeting, they discussed bilateral, regional and international matters of mutual interest, according to Foreign Office in Islamabad.

The Foreign Office said that Bilawal assured Lavrov of working closely for further deepening the cooperation in food security, energy and people-to-people contacts. He said that the SCO opened new vistas of cooperation and coordination with Russia.

On Friday (today) Bilawal will attend the SCO-CFM, delivering a speech that will focus on regional security issues, climate change, Afghanistan and other matters. Under the SCO obligations no country would discuss bilateral issues.

The visit of the foreign minister is carefully choreographed from the Pakistani side. On Thursday Bilawal gave interviews to an international and a leading media house but those won’t be aired before Friday (today).

Also, Pakistan, despite having slim chance of any breakthrough in the bilateral ties is trying not to create any negativity. Therefore, Bilawal is unlikely to directly bring up the issue of Kashmir at the forum. However, he may make indirect reference to the dispute.

There is sense here that both sides are moving cautiously and not raising any hopes.

Indian journalists believe that with state elections round the corner in Karnataka and parliamentary polls early next year, the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) won’t like to take any steps leading to rapprochement with Pakistan.

(WITH INPUT FROM AGENCIES)