External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday (October 15) to attend Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) meet. His plane landed at Nur Khan airbase on Tuesday afternoon. Jaishankar was greeted by senior Pakistani officials at the airbase after he landed.
Jaishankar's Pakistan visit marks first such visit by a senior Indian minister in nine years. Former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had visited Pakistan in 2015 to attend a conference on Afghanistan.
The SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) summit is going to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. There will be no bilateral talks between India and Pakistan even on the sidelines of the SCO meet. Indo-Pak relations have remained frosty over terrorism and variety of other issues.
India however, has made positive statements in the run-up to the SCO meet. Earlier on Tuesday, India said that it continues to remain actively engaged in SCO.
"External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will represent India at the meeting. India remains actively engaged in the SCO format, including various mechanisms and initiatives within the SCO framework," said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement in New Delhi.
S Jaishankar SCO Meet Schedule: Tuesday, October 15
7 pm - 8:30 pm: On Tuesday, Jaishankar will attend an informal dinner hosted by Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif as the latter welcomes delegates from member nations.
S Jaishankar SCO Meet Schedule: Wednesday, October 16
10:00 am to 10:15 am: Group photo of leaders
10:20 am - 1:05 pm: The Indian foreign minister will attend SCO Plenary session at Plenary Hall, Jinnah Convention Centre.
1:10 pm - 1:30 pm: Signing of documents
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm: Official lunch
4:00 pm: Departure
Jaishankar recently said that India would 'certainly like to have good relations with Pakistan' like any good neighbour.
But he made clear that cross-border terrorism and Pakistani support remains a key issue and overlooking this would amount to 'indulging in wishful thinking'.
