Pakistan has officially invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting set to take place in Islamabad this October.
During a recent briefing, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, confirmed that all heads of government from SCO member states, including Indian Prime Minister Modi, have been invited to the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting scheduled for October 15-16 in Islamabad. Baloch noted that some confirmations have already been received.
This invitation follows a recent statement by Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, who indicated that PM Modi would be invited to the regional summit. In response to media speculation, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has previously denied reports suggesting that PM Modi might skip the SCO summit in Pakistan.
The SCO, an intergovernmental international organization established on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai, China, was created by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, evolving from the earlier Shanghai Five mechanism. Today, the SCO includes nine member states: India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
