Pakistan on Tuesday abstained from attending a military medicine specialist conference organized under the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) framework. The reason for Pakistan's absence was due to objections raised by the Indian side regarding the use of maps that depicted the country's borders incorrectly, particularly in regards to Kashmir, Hindustan Times reported citing sources.
𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗽
India's External Affairs Ministry brought up the issue after Pakistani officials used maps in a prior SCO meeting that depicted Kashmir as part of their country. This has been a recurring issue that has affected recent SCO meetings. As India prepares to host several official and ministerial meetings leading up to the SCO Summit scheduled for July, this matter is of significant concern.
According to a HT source, Pakistan had intended to participate in an official capacity at a think tank conference centered around the theme of "SCO Armed Forces Contribution in Military Medicine, Healthcare and Pandemics". However, due to an objection raised by India, Pakistan ultimately decided not to attend.
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗖𝗢 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
The conference organized by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA) in New Delhi was not likely to affect other scheduled meetings within the SCO framework.
The seminar aimed to facilitate the sharing of exemplary practices in military medicine, healthcare, and pandemic control. The theme was selected based on the notable contributions made by various armed forces in combating Covid-19 through the provision of isolation facilities, emergency medical equipment, and support for vaccination campaigns in hard-to-reach regions, over the past two and a half years.
Officials have revealed that a think tank conference was arranged to explore how the eight member states of the SCO can address future challenges, considering that the armed forces of SCO countries are often at the forefront of dealing with such issues.
𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗮𝗸 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗽
During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in September 2020, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval exited a virtual meeting of high-ranking SCO security officials. This came after the Pakistani representative displayed a map with inaccurate depictions of the borders between the two countries.
