[ad_1]
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday became the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India in nearly 12 years when he arrived in Goa for a Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting even in the absence of sign of a bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar.
Bhutto-Zardari’s visit to India to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ Council meeting comes amid persistent tension in relations between the two countries over a range of issues including Islamabad’s use of cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
In the evening, Bhtutto-Zardari attended a reception given by Jaishankar for the visiting foreign ministers.
While a few people who are part of Bhutto-Zardari’s entourage claimed that Jaishankar shook hands with his Pakistani counterpart as he did with others, there was no confirmation of this from the Indian side.
Earlier, the Pakistani foreign minister was greeted at Goa airport by J.
In 2011, the then Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar visited India and held talks with her then counterpart, SM Krishna.
I am very pleased to connect with Goa to lead the Pakistani delegation to the SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. “I expect the SCO Council of Ministers meeting,” Bhutto Zardari told reporters.
Despite the media frenzy over Bhutto-Zardari’s two-day visit to Goa, both the Indian and Pakistani sides seemed to be keeping an arm’s length away from each other.
People familiar with the official engagements on the sidelines of the SCO meeting said that there is no plan for a bilateral meeting between External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and Bhutto Zardari yet as there was no request from the Pakistani side.
In a tweet with the caption, “Salam, from Air India,” Bhutto Zardari said, “Assalamu Alaikum, We have arrived in Goa for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting.”
I will first meet with the Russian foreign minister. After that, a meeting will be held with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan. In a short video, he said, “I will attend the dinner that was held for all foreign ministers…”.
In the evening, Bhutto-Zardari attended a reception hosted by SCO Foreign Minister Jaishankar.
“My decision to attend this meeting demonstrates Pakistan’s strong commitment to the SCO Charter,” said Pakistan’s Foreign Minister before leaving for Goa. “During my visit, which is exclusively focused on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, I look forward to having constructive discussions with my counterparts from friendly countries,” he said.
The Pakistani foreign minister’s visit to India is the first such visit from Islamabad since 2011, when she visited Kahar New Delhi that year. She is currently the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
In May 2014, former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited India to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In December 2015, former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Pakistan, and days later Modi paid a short visit to that country.
The invitation was sent to Pakistan’s foreign minister to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in January, days after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered bilateral talks between India and Pakistan.
In an interview with the UAE-based Al Arabiya news channel, Sharif said, “Pakistan has learned its lesson after three wars with India and now it wants to live in peace with India, if we are able to solve our real problems.” The Pakistan Prime Minister’s office later said that negotiations were not possible without India revoking its 2019 measures on Kashmir.
India insists it desires normal neighborhood relations with Pakistan while insisting that it is Islamabad’s responsibility to create an environment free of terrorism and hostility for such engagement.
Relations between India and Pakistan came under severe strain after Indian warplanes bombed a terrorist training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Balakot in Pakistan in February 2019 in retaliation for the Pulwama terrorist attack.
Relations deteriorated further after India announced in August 2019 the withdrawal of special powers for Jammu and Kashmir and the division of the state into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
In a related development, Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif said that his country’s decision to attend the external meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in India reflects its “commitment” to the organization’s charter and multilateralism, as he affirmed that his country is committed to playing its role in promoting its common values of peace. and stability in the region.
We are committed to doing our part to advance our shared values of peace and stability in the region. We are all in favor of win-win understandings on the basis of interdependence, trade and mutually beneficial cooperation.”
Read all the latest India news and Karnataka elections 2023 update here
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is republished from a syndicated news agency feed.)
[ad_2]
