Days after India-Pakistan match at UN, senior Indian official visits Islamabad for SCO planning meeting

SCO national coordinators meet in Islamabad. MEA Jt Secy, Multilateral and Economic Relations, Alok Dimri, represented India. Photo: Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Pakistan has announced that it will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in August 2027 as an Indian delegation led by a senior MEA official attended a preparatory meeting in Islamabad – India’s first such official visit to Pakistan since last year’s Operation Sindoor.

The three-day meeting of SCO national coordinators, which began on Monday (29 September 2026), comes days after India and Pakistan clashed over terrorism and the Kashmir dispute at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif traded accusations in their national addresses, while Indian and Pakistani diplomats exercised their right of reply to the speeches on the global stage last week.

India on Tuesday (September 29, 2026) also rejected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s reference to Kashmir in his UN General Assembly address.

The participation of Joint Secretary (Multilaterals and Economic Relations) Alok Dimri marked a higher level of Indian representation than in the last few meetings held under Pakistan’s SCO chairmanship this year. In mid-September, the SCO-Regional Anti-Terror Structure meeting in Islamabad was attended by India’s chargé d’affaires in Pakistan, Satyapal Pandey, without a delegation from India.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Pakistan’s 2026-2020 chairmanship of the SCO will promote the theme “Transforming Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity”.

“The (National Coordinator) meeting is an important initial commitment under Pakistan’s chairmanship and would contribute to preparations for various high-level engagements and activities to take place during the chairmanship, including the SCO Council of Heads of State to be hosted by Pakistan in August 2027,” said a Foreign Ministry statement issued in Islamabad.

Indian officials have clarified that the SCO coordinators’ meeting is held in a multilateral format and therefore has no special significance for India-Pakistan bilateral relations. However, the participation leaves the way open for higher-level participation in ministerial-level events and council chairmen’s meetings to which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited. So far, New Delhi has avoided meetings between leaders in both Delhi and Islamabad.

In 2023, Prime Minister Modi virtually hosted the SCO Summit, while Mr. Jaishankar personally hosted Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto at the SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Goa. In 2024, Mr. Jaishankar traveled to Islamabad to also attend the SCO Heads of Government Meeting. The MEA has so far declined to comment on whether Mr Modi will travel to Pakistan next year, but has not ruled it out either.

At a briefing on Tuesday (September 29, 2026), MEA spokesman Randhir Jaiswal brushed off the question of whether India would oppose Turkey’s admission to the 10-nation SCO, which currently includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus and four Central Asian states – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

Turkish President Erdogan told reporters earlier this month that Türkiye would seek a “higher level” of involvement in the SCO than its observer status, hinting that he could apply for full membership next year, especially given the close ties and military treaty with SCO host Pakistan.

“As and when any membership issue comes up, it is up to the (SCO) members to collectively decide how to proceed,” Mr Jaiswal said. He also criticized Mr Erdogan for referring to Kashmir in his UN General Assembly speech last week when he called for all South Asian disputes to be resolved “including Kashmir”.

“India rejects the unwarranted references to India and the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir made by President Türkiye during his speech at the UN General Assembly. As you would understand, this is a matter of India’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and no outside party has any standing in this matter,” Mr Jaiswal said on Tuesday.

Published – 29 Sep 2026 22:47 IST