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Prime Minister Modi (file photo)
Pakistan invites Prime Minister Modi to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Heads of Government Council meeting in Islamabad on October 15-16
Pakistan has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders to attend the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) scheduled to be held in Islamabad on October 15-16.
The invitation comes after Pakistan took its turn as chairman of the CHG, the second-highest decision-making body of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Modi unlikely to travel to Islamabad due to tensions between India and Pakistan, times of india reported.
Last year, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended the CHG meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who often attends SCO heads of state summits, was absent from this year's summit in Kazakhstan due to parliamentary meetings. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, led by Russia and China, is vital to regional security and cooperation.
Still, India remains wary of China's influence in the organization. Indian and Pakistani delegations participate in SCO exercises and meetings, but high-profile visits remain rare. Tensions over the recent surge in terror attacks in Jammu may affect India's decision to invite.
Relations between India and Pakistan remain complicated, with Pakistan trying to reverse India's decision to scrap Jammu and Kashmir's special status, a move that India considers non-negotiable. The last time the Indian foreign minister visited Pakistan was in 2015.
