India
oi-Prakash KL
India will take part in a key Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Pakistan this week, according to a report in The Times of India. However, whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Islamabad for next year’s summit remains an open question.
Indian national coordinator Alok Dimri is expected to attend the meeting, scheduled for September 28-30, where officials will discuss and approve the calendar of events under Pakistan’s presidency of the Eurasian grouping.
India is attending the SCO meeting in Pakistan (Sept 28-30) with Alok Dimri representing the nation, while PM Modi’s participation in next year’s summit remains uncertain pending Pakistan’s action against cross-border terrorism.
India’s relationship with Pakistan has remained strained for years, with cross-border terrorism and the Kashmir dispute continuing to dominate bilateral ties.
The situation took a major turn in August 2019, when the Narendra Modi government revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status under Article 370 and reorganised the former state into two Union Territories.
Relations came under further strain following terrorist attack in Pahalgam by the Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy group of the Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). India launched the military operation, hitting terrorist infrastructure deep inside Pakistan.
The Operation Sindoor was paused after Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) called his Indian counterpart to request a cessation of hostilities.
New Delhi has consistently maintained that meaningful engagement with Islamabad requires concrete action against cross-border terrorism.
Against this backdrop, Modi’s potential visit to Islamabad would carry considerable diplomatic significance.
Why India Continues To Engage With SCO
Despite its differences with Pakistan, India has continued to participate in SCO activities, keeping its engagement with the multilateral grouping separate from its bilateral relationship with Islamabad.
India became a full member of the China-dominated organisation in 2017. Since then, Modi has represented India at meetings of the Council of Heads of State, while External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has attended meetings of the Council of Heads of Government.
The grouping provides India with a platform to engage with major regional powers, including China and Russia, as well as Central Asian countries.
New Delhi has also backed SCO initiatives on regional connectivity, while insisting that such projects respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.
India has repeatedly stressed that tackling terrorism, extremism and separatism must remain central to the organisation’s agenda.
At an SCO summit earlier this month, Modi reiterated India’s position, saying countries that use terrorism as an instrument of state policy or provide shelter to terrorists must be told clearly that terrorism cannot be a strategic asset.
Will Modi Travel To Islamabad?
The upcoming summit will put the focus on whether Pakistan’s invitation to Modi will translate into a visit.
India and Pakistan have maintained limited official engagement despite the absence of substantive bilateral dialogue for nearly a decade. However, their participation in the SCO has continued to bring officials from the two countries together.
Indian officials have travelled to Pakistan for SCO-related meetings and exercises. Jaishankar himself visited Pakistan in October 2024 to attend the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting.
That engagement, however, has not resulted in a broader improvement in bilateral relations.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit process has also remained stalled, with India unwilling to participate in a summit in Pakistan under the prevailing circumstances.
For Modi to travel to Islamabad, New Delhi has indicated that Pakistan would need to take tangible and irreversible steps against cross-border terrorism and terror groups operating from its territory.
Unless there is a significant shift on that front, the Prime Minister’s participation in the SCO summit in Pakistan remains uncertain.
For now, India’s participation in the preparatory meeting signals its continued commitment to the SCO. Whether that engagement extends to a Modi visit to Islamabad is a different question – one that will depend largely on the state of India-Pakistan relations in the months ahead.
