SCO Summit 2024: Jaishankar, Shehbaz Sharif shake fingers forward of meet, Bilawal Bhutto pitches for Indo-Pak talks

Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday shook fingers and exchanged greetings throughout a casual dinner hosted by the latter. Jaishankar is in Islamabad to attend the two-day-long Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). 

This, nevertheless, was no indication of a thaw within the strained ties between India and Pakistan. Shehbaz Sharif greeted all of the leaders of the delegations of the SCO member nations on the banquet reception. Jaishankar additionally exchanged pleasantries together with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar. 

In the meantime, Pakistan Folks’s Occasion (PPP) chairman and former overseas minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari pressed for bilateral talks with India on the sidelines of the SCO summit whilst each the perimeters dominated out such a chance.

In an interview with Pakistan’s ARY Information, Bhutto Zardari requested: “Why be so inflexible?”, whereas including that India and Pakistan ought to think about a bilateral speak on the sidelines of the SCO summit. 

“A dialog is critical, whether or not right now or tomorrow. Even when it’s not within the context of the SCO, each international locations need to resume bilateral talks ultimately.”

Jaishankar in Pakistan: High 10 developments to this point

1. Jaishankar’s plane landed on the Nur Khan airbase on the outskirts of Islamabad at round 03:30 pm on Tuesday, the place he was greeted by senior Pakistani officers. 
2. Earlier than leaving for Pakistan, S Jaishankar mentioned that India stays actively engaged in numerous mechanisms of the SCO. “The SCO CHG assembly is held yearly and focuses on the commerce and financial agenda of the Organisation,” the Ministry of Exterior Affairs (MEA) mentioned.
3. Whereas urgent for talks, Bhutto acknowledged that terrorism is a actuality. 
4. “Terrorism can also be a actuality, whether or not they  blame us  and we blame them however the concern exists, so if we interact, we are going to one way or the other attain a standard level and save valuable India and Pakistan lives,” mentioned Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
5. Pakistan’s former interim PM Anwaar-ul-Hq Kakar on Tuesday mentioned that there’s a “deep urge for food” in Pakistan to see enchancment in its relation with India. 
6. Kakar mentioned Pakistani navy and political events search ahead motion in India-Pakistan ties however on the identical time, there’s a realisation of the bottom realities. 
7. Each India and Pakistan have dominated out the opportunity of any bilateral talks between Jaishankar and Ishaq Dar on the sidelines of the SCO summit.  
8. Jaishankar mentioned at a current occasion: “Like with any neighbour, India would definitely prefer to have good relations with Pakistan. However that can’t occur by overlooking cross-border terrorism and indulging in wishful pondering.”
9. That is the primary time in round 9 years that an Indian overseas minister has visited Pakistan because the ties between the 2 neighbours stay chilly over the difficulty of cross-border terrorism. 
10. The final Indian overseas minister to go to Pakistan was late Sushma Swaraj. She went to Islamabad to attend the ‘Coronary heart of Asia’ convention on Afghanistan held on December 8-9, 2015. Jaishankar, then India’s overseas secretary, was part of Swaraj’s delegation.