Pakistan has expressed a positive outlook on the Indian delegation’s recent visit to Islamabad for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting, signalling a potential step towards improved regional cooperation and dialogue.
IMAGE: India’s national coordinator for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Alok Dimri. Photograph: ANI Photo/File image
Key Points
- Pakistan welcomed an Indian delegation’s visit to Islamabad for the SCO National Coordinators meeting, marking the first such visit in over two years.
- The visit is seen as a positive development reflecting common regional objectives for peace, development, connectivity, trade, and transit.
- Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman highlighted the SCO’s focus on strengthening coordination and practical cooperation under Pakistan’s chairmanship.
- Pakistan also condemned the damage to a mosque in India and reiterated its adherence to US sanctions against Iran.
- Pakistan emphasised its role as a mediator between Iran and the US, advocating for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflicts.
Pakistan on Thursday said the Indian delegation’s visit to Islamabad to attend the three-day meeting of the National Coordinators of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was a “welcome step”.
Indian delegation, led by Alok Dmiri, attended the meeting that concluded on Wednesday.
This was the first visit by an Indian delegation to Islamabad after last year’s four-day conflict.
Significance Of Indian Delegation’s Visit
The SCO member states included Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus and China.
Foreign office spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan was asked at the weekly media briefing to comment on the Indian official’s visit.
“Indeed, it was after a gap of perhaps more than two years that we had a senior official visiting Pakistan from India. And…he expressed his keenness to visit some other places in Pakistan as well, such as Sialkot and Faisalabad, as I recall, and Lahore, which he termed the cultural capital of the SCO for the next one year,” Khan said.
“His presence here reflected the commonality of views as well as objectives of the entire region with regard to peace, development, connectivity, trade, and transit, which he also remarked upon in his interview. So, it is a welcome step,” he said.
Pakistan’s Role In SCO And Regional Issues
Khan said the SCO national coordinators reviewed activities and key initiatives under Pakistan’s Chairmanship, discussed preparations for upcoming SCO meetings, and exchanged views on strengthening coordination and practical cooperation.
He said that the national coordinators on Wednesday called on Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who highlighted Pakistan’s priorities for its SCO Chairmanship and its commitment to working closely with all Member States to advance the Organisation’s objectives.
To a question about reports of a portion of a mosque suffering damage during the removal of obstructions for a road-widening work in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain, he said Pakistan “strongly condemns the arbitrary action.”
Pakistan’s Stance On International And Domestic Matters
Regarding US sanctions against Iran, Khan said Pakistan adheres, and shall continue to adhere, to all applicable sanctions regimes in accordance with international and domestic laws.
Talking about Pakistan’s role as a mediator between Iran and the US, the spokesperson said that it is important to continue urging both sides to exercise restraint, resolve outstanding issues through dialogue and diplomacy, and honour their respective commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
“Pakistan believes that this is the only viable pathway to resolving the conflict amicably and peacefully, in the larger interest of global peace and security,” he said.
