Indian trade minister to skip Pakistan visit

The Indian trade minister will virtually attend the upcoming meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) being hosted by Pakistan, officials familiar with the development said here on Tuesday.

The SCO trade ministers meeting will be held in Islamabad on Thursday, according to officials.

Pakistan invited India along with other SCO members for the meeting. India, according to sources, confirmed its participation online, meaning its trade minister will not travel to Pakistan.

This may serve as a template for India to attend other SCO meetings, including the council of heads of governments meeting to be held in Islamabad in October.

Pakistan has already sent an invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the meeting. It is expected that India, like the trade ministers meeting, will join the October 15 and 16 huddle through online.

India is unlikely to attend the SCO meeting in person but other member countries are expected to send their high-powered delegations. China already confirmed that its prime minister would undertake a visit to Islamabad for the SCO meeting as well as bilateral visit.

The SCO is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance, founded in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It has since expanded to include India, Pakistan, and Iran as full members, with Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia as observers, and other countries as dialogue partners. The SCO is often seen as a counterbalance to Western alliances like NATO and plays a significant role in fostering regional cooperation.

Pakistan attended all the meetings of SCO hosted by India last year either in person or virtually.

Bilawal Bhutto visited Goa for the meeting of SCO Foreign Ministers in May 2023. India extended the invitation to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the SCO summit held in New Delhi. Before Pakistan could take a decision whether to attend the summit in New Delhi, India suddenly decided to host the meeting virtually instead of in person. It is believed that India took the decision at the last moment because of its tensions with China and Pakistan.

The SCO is pivotal in addressing regional security concerns, including terrorism, extremism, and separatism. It conducts joint military exercises and intelligence sharing among member states.

The SCO promotes economic cooperation through initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It seeks to enhance trade, energy partnerships, and infrastructure development across Eurasia.

It also provides a platform for member states to align on major international issues, often advocating for a multipolar world order and challenging Western dominance in global affairs.

The 23rd SCO Summit was held on July 4, 2023, hosted by India via video conference. This summit marked a significant moment for the organization, as it was the first time India chaired the SCO after becoming a full member in 2017.