International: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar departed from Islamabad after concluding a "productive" Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit hosted by Pakistan. He thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, his counterpart Ishaq Dar and the Pakistani government for the hospitality and courtesies.

Earlier today, Jaishankar exchanged pleasantries with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the second day of the SCO Summit. The brief exchange took place at the venue of the SCO summit. Jaishankar and Sharif warmly shook hands with PM Sharif and his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar and held a very brief interaction.

It is important to mention that Jaishankar's visit to Islamabad is a moment of immense significance in the relations between India and Pakistan, which remained tense over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. This is the first visit by an Indian EAM in nine years after Sushma Swaraj visited Islamabad in 2015. His arrival in Islamabad was viewed as a positive development in the relations between the two arch-rivals.

Jaishankar hails 'productive' SCO Summit

The External Affairs Minister hailed a 'productive' SCO Summit hosted by Pakistan, asserting that India made a positive and constructive contribution to the deliberations there. The minister also signed eight outcome documents at the high-level summit.

At the Summit, Jaishankar underscored the need for a collective approach to ensure peace and development. Jaishankar also asserted that cooperation should be based on mutual respect and sovereign equality that should recognise territorial integrity and sovereignty, in an apparent dig at Pakistan and China. He also highlighted three evils that posed as key challenges to the SCO: Terrorism, extremism and separatism.

In his opening remarks, Jaishankar congratulated Pakistan for its presidency of the SCO Council of Heads of Government and said India had extended its full support for a successful presidency. "We meet at a difficult time in world affairs. Two major conflicts are underway, each with its own global repercussions," he said, laying out key global issues for the SCO to focus on like debt, financial volatility and supply chain uncertainties.

Jaishankar's veiled dig at Pakistan, China

During his speech at Pakistan's Jinnah Convention Centre, Jaishankar emphasised the importance of collaboration among member states to tackle common challenges and highlighted India's commitment to fostering stability and prosperity in the region. Without naming Pakistan targeted for fostering terrorism and underscored it was axiomatic that development and growth require peace and stability. 

"And as the Charter spelt out, this means being firm and uncompromising in countering the ‘three evils’. If activities across borders are characterised by terrorism, extremism and separatism, they are hardly likely to encourage trade, energy flows, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges in parallel," he added.

He said cooperation must be based on mutual respect and sovereign equality. "It should recognise territorial integrity and sovereignty. It must be built on genuine partnerships, not unilateral agendas. It cannot progress if we cherry-pick global practices, especially of trade and transit," he said, in remarks seen as an indirect reference to China's assertive behaviour on key issues.

India-Pakistan relations

Jaishankar's visit to Pakistan is being seen in Islamabad as a positive move by India. It is the first time in nearly nine years that India's foreign minister travelled to Pakistan even as the ties between the two neighbours remained tense over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

The last Indian EAM to visit Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj. She had travelled to Islamabad to attend the 'Heart of Asia' conference on Afghanistan that was held from December 8 to 9 in 2015. The ties between India and Pakistan came under severe strain after India's warplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot in Pakistan in February 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack.

The relations further deteriorated after India on August 5, 2019 announced the withdrawal of special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and the bifurcation of the state into two union territories. Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with India after New Delhi abrogated Article 370. India has been maintaining that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan while insisting that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment free of terror and hostility for such engagement.