Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar began his visit to Pakistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) heads of government meeting, marking the first such visit by an Indian foreign minister in nearly a decade. Jaishankar attended a dinner hosted by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday evening, where the two leaders exchanged courtesies and shook hands, a rare public interaction between Indian and Pakistani officials.
Despite this brief exchange, Jaishankar was not scheduled for any formal bilateral meetings with Shehbaz or Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar during his 24-hour stay in Islamabad. Both sides emphasized that Jaishankar’s visit was solely focused on the SCO, which India and Pakistan have been full members of since 2017.
While some, including Pakistani Minister Ahsan Iqbal, pointed to the handshake as a potential opening for future dialogue, there were no expectations of any significant breakthroughs in bilateral relations. Former Pakistan interim Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar noted that a formal outreach to India might provoke political backlash domestically, particularly ahead of upcoming elections.
India, having sent Jaishankar to the multilateral event, is not expected to initiate a bilateral meeting. Experts believe that any meaningful engagement would require Pakistan to review its position on recalling its high commissioner following India’s revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. At the SCO summit, Jaishankar is expected to reiterate India’s stance on respecting territorial integrity in the region, though without directly naming China or Pakistan.
