NEW DELHI: India is attending the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Council of National Coordinators in Islamabad, continuing New Delhi’s practice of attending SCO engagements hosted by Pakistan despite strained bilateral ties.
India’s delegation at the three-day meeting, which began Monday and will conclude Wednesday, is led by Alok Dimri, Additional Secretary in the External Affairs Ministry’s Multilateral Economic Relations Division and India’s national coordinator for the SCO.
The SCO member states included Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus and China.
India and Pakistan became its members in 2017.
Pakistan assumed the organisation’s chairmanship from Kyrgyzstan on September 1, beginning its 2026-27 tenure. The national coordinators’ meeting is part of the preparations for the SCO summit of heads of state, which Pakistan is scheduled to host in August 2027.
Pakistan has indicated that invitations will be extended to the leaders of all SCO member states, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Pakistan has adopted “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity” as the theme for its chairmanship.
It said the aim would be to translate the shared vision of member states into practical and mutually beneficial initiatives. “Pakistan would work closely with all Member States and the SCO Secretariat to advance these priorities and further strengthen cooperation within the SCO,” it said.
Earlier, the Pakistani foreign minister said in a statement that the meeting from September 28 to 30 will discuss a “wide range of issues relating to SCO cooperation and coordination”, including the “programme of activities under Pakistan’s Chairmanship”, preparations for upcoming SCO meetings and events, and other matters on the organisation’s agenda.
India has continued to participate in SCO meetings held in Pakistan. In July 2026, an Indian delegation attended the 12th meeting of the heads of SCO border services in Islamabad.
In October 2024, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar travelled to Islamabad for the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting. It was the first visit to Pakistan by an Indian foreign minister in nearly nine years.