Will Indian diplomat’s visit to Pakistan, a first in 10 years, signal thaw in bilateral ties?
Experts downplay hopes of a breakthrough but say India’s attendance at SCO summit shows relations have become sufficiently stable
India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will visit Pakistan later this month for a regional summit, marking the first such trip in almost 10 years, but analysts caution against expecting a breakthrough in the frosty relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Jaishankar is set to lead the Indian delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting in Islamabad on October 15-16, according to external affairs ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal.
While the visit has raised hopes for improving ties between the two countries, experts emphasise that it is merely a routine engagement in a multilateral setting.
Michael Kugelman, director of the Wilson Center’s South Asia Institute, told This Week in Asia that Jaishankar’s visit to Islamabad should be seen through the lens of the SCO and not of India-Pakistan relations.
“He is clearly coming not to strengthen the relations with Pakistan but he feels SCO is sufficiently important and is worth coming to Pakistan for that very purpose,” Kugelman said.
In fact, Jaishankar explicitly ruled out the possibility of a bilateral meeting, saying his visit would not cover any official talks.