FO confirms India’s Modi invited to SCO meeting in Islamabad

The Foreign Office confirmed on Thursday that invitations to the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of Government meeting have been sent to all member country heads of government, including the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.

“We have also received some confirmations,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch stated today at her weekly news briefing in Islamabad.

She stated that the conference is slated to occur in Islamabad on October 15–16.

Pakistan invites Modi to SCO moot

The invitation to India’s prime minister follows Pakistan’s rotation into the chairmanship of the CHG, the SCO’s second-highest decision-making body.

However, according to reports, it is unlikely that Modi would travel to Islamabad due to strained relations between India and Pakistan. Modi is likely to delegate a minister to represent India, as has been done in the past, the report added.

Traditionally, India has sent a minister to represent the country at CHG meetings. Last year, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar attended the CHG meeting in Bishkek.

During her briefing today, the Foreign Office spokesperson said that the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people cannot be replaced by any other method.

She stated that resolutions passed by the UN Security Council make it very clear that a plebiscite overseen by the UN will be used to determine the ultimate resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir problem.

Pakistan to host SCO meeting in October 2024: Foreign Office

In response to a query, the spokesperson stated that Pakistan had no intention of holding discussions with the TTP.

She said the presence of terror groups including the TTP in Afghanistan is confirmed by multiple international reports including the United Nations.

She said we expect the Afghan authorities to take robust action against these terror groups and prevent their activities that endanger Pakistan’s security.

When asked about China Pakistan Economic Corridor, the spokesperson said it is a transformational project that has contributed positively and transparently to Pakistan’s national development. She said the corridor project enjoys support and popularity in all provinces and across the political divide in Pakistan.

She clarified that Pakistan’s total public debt relating to CPEC projects is a small percentage of its total debt. Moreover, she said, the public debt obtained from China has longer maturity periods with low interest rates.

The Spokesperson reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to provide full security to all Chinese nationals, projects and institutions.