Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has formally invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting to be held in Islamabad in October. Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson gave this information. He said that Pakistan has invited Prime Minister Modi to attend the summit of heads of government of the SCO.
During a weekly press conference, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mumtaz Zehra Baloch said invitations have been sent to heads of state and government to attend the summit scheduled for October 15-16, the Dawn newspaper reported. “An invitation has also been sent to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Baloch was quoted as saying in the report.
Baloch said some countries have already confirmed their participation in the SCO Heads of Government Summit. “It will be announced in due course which country has confirmed,” he said. Pakistan and India have a long history of tense relations, mainly due to the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism sponsored by Pakistan.
India has been saying that it wants normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan. However, it has been insisting that for such a relationship, it is Pakistan’s responsibility to create an environment free from terror and hostility. The SCO summit will be preceded by several rounds of ministerial talks and senior officials’ meetings, which will focus on financial, economic, socio-cultural and humanitarian cooperation among the SCO member countries.
The SCO is an influential economic and security grouping of India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. When asked about relations with India, the spokesperson said, “There is no direct bilateral trade between Pakistan and India.” Pakistan downgraded its ties with India after the Indian Parliament repealed Article 370 on August 5, 2019.
(Input Agency)