Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, has confirmed that Islamabad will invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in October. Pakistan is set to host the SCO Heads of Government meeting as part of its current chairmanship of the SCO Council, the second-highest decision-making body within the bloc, which includes major regional players like Russia and China.
Relations between India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed nations, have been strained for years, with high-level visits being rare. The two neighbors have fought three wars, two of which were over the contested Kashmir region. Both countries claim Kashmir in full but control different parts of it.
In an interview with Dawn News, Asif confirmed the invitation, stating: “Yes, certainly. There shouldn’t be any doubt about it.” He emphasized that any country hosting the SCO does not have the option to exclude specific members from the invitation list, adding that such conditions would be “inappropriate” and unacceptable to the SCO.
This diplomatic move follows India’s invitation to Pakistan’s then-foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, for an SCO meeting in 2023, which he attended. Bhutto-Zardari’s visit marked the first high-profile trip by a Pakistani official to India since former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attended Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in 2014.
Tensions between the two countries have long revolved around the Kashmir issue, with India accusing Pakistan of supporting separatist movements in the region. Pakistan denies these allegations, stating it only provides diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiris seeking self-determination.
Although violence in Kashmir has decreased recently, formal talks between India and Pakistan on major issues have been stagnant for years.
