S Jaishankar Rules Out Bilateral Talks with Pakistan During SCO Conclave

In a significant clarification ahead of his much-anticipated visit to Pakistan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated on Saturday that he will not engage in any bilateral talks with Pakistan during his attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conclave. The event, slated to take place on October 15-16 in Islamabad, marks the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan in nearly nine years. However, Jaishankar made it clear that the visit will strictly focus on multilateral engagement and not on discussing India-Pakistan relations.

“It will be for a multilateral event. I’m not going there to discuss India-Pakistan relations. I’m going there to be a good member of the SCO,” Jaishankar asserted while speaking at an event in the national capital. The statement underscores India’s firm position on refraining from bilateral discussions with Pakistan as long as cross-border terrorism persists.

Nevertheless, the minister added a diplomatic touch to his remarks, acknowledging the importance of civility in international relations. “But, you know, since I’m a courteous and civil person, I will behave myself accordingly,” he said, subtly referring to the delicate nature of his interactions during the visit.

Jaishankar: India’s Unyielding Stance on Terrorism

Jaishankar took the opportunity to subtly criticize Pakistan for its role in derailing the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), attributing the stagnation of the initiative to cross-border terrorism. “At the moment, SAARC is not moving forward, we haven’t had a meeting of SAARC for a very simple reason – there is one member of SAARC who is practicing cross-border terrorism at least against one more member of SAARC, maybe more,” he noted, alluding to Pakistan’s actions without naming the country directly.

“Terrorism is something which is unacceptable, and despite a global view of it, if one of our neighbours continues to do it, there cannot be business as usual in SAARC,” Jaishankar added, emphasizing that while SAARC has been inactive due to terrorism, regional integration within the Indian subcontinent has actually deepened in recent years.

No Dialogue Until Terrorism Ceases

India’s firm stance on not holding bilateral dialogues with Pakistan until the latter ceases supporting and nurturing terrorism remains unchanged. The nation has maintained that as long as Pakistan continues to be a breeding ground for terrorism targeting India, there can be no “business as usual” between the two neighbours.

Despite this strained relationship, Jaishankar’s upcoming visit to Pakistan for the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting will proceed, with India focusing solely on its responsibilities as a member of the multilateral forum.

The visit comes at a time when ties between India and Pakistan remain frosty, marked by ongoing concerns over cross-border terrorism. The last visit by an Indian external affairs minister to Pakistan was made by the late Sushma Swaraj in 2015, where she attended a conference on Afghanistan. Since then, relations have only deteriorated further, especially following incidents such as the Pulwama attack in 2019.

The announcement of Jaishankar’s visit was made by External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a media briefing. “The external affairs minister will lead our delegation to Pakistan to participate in the SCO summit which will be held in Islamabad on October 15 and 16,” Jaiswal said, confirming India’s continued participation in multilateral forums, despite tensions with Pakistan.

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