S Jaishankar Arrives In Pakistan For SCO Summit, Gets Rousing Welcome At Islamabad Airport | Watch

External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar arrrived in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Tuesday evening to attend the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting. Jaishankar was greeted at the Nur Khan airbase by senior Pakistani officials. This marks the first high-level visit from India in years amid strained ties between the two nations. Jaishankar will reportedly stay in Pakistan for less than 24 hours. The external affairs minister is expected to attend a banquet reception hosted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to welcome delegates from the SCO member nations. Pakistan is hosting the two-day SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) summit on October 15 and 16.

#WATCH | EAM Dr S Jaishankar arrives in Islamabad, Pakistan for the 23rd Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of Government.

(Source: PTV) pic.twitter.com/Hpu8kHtncD

— ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2024

EAM Jaishankar also shared pictures from his arrival in Islamabad on his X (fornally Twitter) handle.

Landed in Islamabad to take part in SCO Council of Heads of Government Meeting. pic.twitter.com/PQ4IFPZtlp

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 15, 2024

Both Islamabad and New Delhi have ruled out any bilateral talks between Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar on the sidelines of the SCO heads of government summit.

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The meeting will take place at a time when the Shehbaz Sharif government faces multiple security, economic, and political challenges at home. In recent years, the diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan have seen significant ups and downs.

The last visit by an Indian Foreign Minister to Pakistan was by former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in December 2015, when she attended a conference on Afghanistan. Pakistan extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in August.

Jaishankar's visit to Pakistan assumes significance as it is seen as a significant decision on New Delhi's part. In his recent address at an event, Jaishankar said "like with any neighbour, India would certainly like to have good relations with Pakistan."

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"But that cannot happen by overlooking cross-border terrorism and indulging in wishful thinking." The decision to send the senior minister is seen as a display of India's commitment to the SCO.

(With Agency Inputs)