New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar confirmed on Saturday that his upcoming visit to Pakistan regarding SCO Summit will solely focus on the multilateral nature of the event. Jaishankar noted that he is not going to Islamabad to discuss ‘India-Pakistan relations’.


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"Yes, I am scheduled to go to Pakistan in the middle of this month and that is for the meeting of the SCO --the heads of government meeting," ANI quoted Jaishankar during a lecture hosted by the IC Centre for Governance in New Delhi. 


"I expect that there would be a lot of media interest because the very nature of the relationship is such and I think we will deal with it. But I do want to say it will be there for a multilateral event, I mean I am not going there to discuss India-Pakistan relations. I am going there to be a good member of the SCO. Since I am a courteous and civil person, I will behave myself accordingly," he highlighted. 


The External Affairs Minister further added that the SCO Summit is being held in Islamabad this time, as Pakistan, like India, is a recent addition to the bloc.


External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasized the significance of the upcoming SCO Summit in Pakistan, noting that the meeting's location aligns with tradition, stating, "Normally the Prime Minister goes to the high-level meeting, the heads of state, that's in line with the tradition. It so happens that the meeting is taking place in Pakistan, because, like us, they are a relatively recent member."


Regarding his preparations for the summit, Jaishankar remarked, "Of course, I am planning for it. In my business, you plan for everything that you are going to do, and for a lot of things that you are not going to do, and which could happen also, you plan for that as well."


SCO Summit 2024 In Pakistan


Pakistan is set to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting in mid-October. On Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs announced that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will travel to Pakistan to participate in the convention.


The SCO, which comprises India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, has become a crucial economic and security bloc, establishing itself as one of the largest trans-regional international organizations.