External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has firmly ruled out any bilateral discussions with Pakistan during his upcoming visit to the country for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. Speaking at the Sardar Patel lecture on governance, Jaishankar emphasized that while India is open to fostering better relations with Pakistan, such ties cannot be realized without addressing the ongoing issue of cross-border terrorism. He stated that building relations on unrealistic expectations would be counterproductive.
Jaishankar underscored that, like any neighboring country, India desires peaceful relations with Pakistan, but this cannot happen by turning a blind eye to terrorism and relying on wishful thinking. He invoked the pragmatic approach of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, emphasizing that realism should guide policy decisions. He also referenced the differing perspectives of Sardar Patel and former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru concerning India’s relationship with China, particularly citing their famous correspondence from 1950.
At a press conference following the event, Jaishankar clarified that his visit to Pakistan is solely for the SCO summit and will not involve discussions on India-Pakistan relations. He mentioned, “I’m not going there to discuss India-Pakistan relations. My role is to participate as a responsible member of the SCO. However, I will conduct myself civilly and courteously.
Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan for the SCO meeting is scheduled for October 15-16. The SCO, established in June 2001, is an intergovernmental organization with members including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and China. Often referred to as the “alliance of the East,” the SCO is the world’s largest regional organization, covering about three-fifths of the Eurasian continent and representing nearly half of the global population. Additionally, it accounts for approximately 20 percent of the world’s GDP.
