New Delhi/Islamabad: Pakistan is set to host a three-day meeting of national coordinators of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) from Monday. From the Indian side, national coordinator Alok Dimri is expected to attend the meeting today, the Times of India reported, citing its sources.
With this meeting, Pakistan begins preparations for the grouping's Council of Heads of State summit in August 2027. The meeting, to be held from September 28 to 30, marks an important initial engagement under Pakistan's chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for 2026-27 and will help coordinate upcoming high-level meetings and activities.
Despite the absence of substantive bilateral engagement for a decade, Indian and Pakistani officials have continued to visit each other’s countries for SCO-related activities. In 2024, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar travelled to Islamabad for the SCO heads of government meeting. However, he remained in the country for a few hours and then left Islamabad on the same day. In 2023, the then foreign minister of Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto, attended the SCO Summit in Goa.
Will PM Modi attend SCO Summit in Pakistan next year?
However, the key question, though still premature, is whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the SCO summit in Islamabad next year. The SAARC summit process remains stalled due to the Prime Minister’s reluctance to travel to Pakistan, and barring a significant change in circumstances, he is unlikely to visit Islamabad, according to a TOI report. Earlier in July, Pakistan said it would invite Heads of State of all member states of the SCO for the summit in Islamabad next year.
In the statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said "all member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will be invited at the level of the Heads of State or Government, should they wish to attend at the level of the Head of Government."
Why is meeting taking place a year before the actual SCO Summit?
According to a statement released on X by the Foreign Office on Sunday, Pakistan's National Coordinator will chair the upcoming SCO meeting. The session will bring together national coordinators from member states and representatives from the SCO Secretariat.
The national coordinators will discuss a "wide range of issues relating to SCO cooperation and coordination", including the "programme of activities under Pakistan's Chairmanship", preparations for upcoming SCO meetings and events, and other matters on the organisation's agenda, the FO said.
Pakistan will seek to advance the organisation's objectives during its chairmanship under the theme "Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity", according to the FO. "In this regard, Pakistan's Chairmanship would focus on promoting greater connectivity, fostering innovation, enhancing economic cooperation, and strengthening people-to-people contacts," it said.
The FO said the aim would be to translate the shared vision of Member States into practical and mutually beneficial initiatives. "Pakistan would work closely with all Member States and the SCO Secretariat to advance these priorities and further strengthen cooperation within the SCO," it said.
The meeting will provide an early forum for coordination among member states as Pakistan begins its programme of activities as chair of the SCO Council of Heads of State. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif travelled to Bishkek for a three-day official visit to attend the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting and the SCO Plus Summit, where Pakistan assumed the organisation's chairmanship for 2026-27. Pakistan will lead the SCO's top-level deliberations during its chairmanship and host the organisation's summit in 2027.
(With inputs from agencies)
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