India Sends Delegation To Pakistan For SCO Meeting As Islamabad Begins Chairmanship

An Indian delegation led by Alok Dimri, the Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary and India’s national coordinator for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), is in Islamabad for a key meeting of the grouping’s national coordinators.

The three-day meeting, being held from September 28 to 30, is the first meeting of the SCO Council of National Coordinators under Pakistan’s chairmanship of the organisation’s Council of Heads of State for 2026-27. Pakistan formally took over the rotating chairmanship from Kyrgyzstan on September 1.

India’s participation comes amid strained relations between India and Pakistan and marks the first such Indian visit to Pakistan since last year’s brief military confrontation between the two countries. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had earlier travelled to Islamabad in October 2024 to attend the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting.

The meeting is focused on planning the SCO’s programme of activities for the year, including preparations for upcoming ministerial-level meetings and other engagements. It will also help set the agenda for the SCO summit in Islamabad in August 2027, which Pakistan is scheduled to host.

Pakistan’s National Coordinator Mohammad Faisal is chairing the deliberations, with national coordinators from other member states and representatives of the SCO Secretariat participating. The SCO currently has 10 members — India, Pakistan, Russia, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.

According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, the national coordinators are discussing the programme of events and activities planned during Pakistan’s chairmanship, preparations for upcoming SCO meetings and other organisational matters.

Pakistan has adopted “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity” as the theme for its chairmanship. Its stated priorities include greater regional connectivity, innovation, economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

Regional security and counterterrorism also remain part of the broader SCO agenda, alongside economic cooperation, connectivity and people-to-people ties.

The discussions will help coordinate the calendar of meetings and events leading up to the 2027 Council of Heads of State summit. Pakistan is expected to invite leaders of all SCO member states for the summit, although India’s level of participation will be decided separately.

India’s presence in Islamabad reflects its continued participation in SCO mechanisms despite bilateral differences with Pakistan. The engagement is taking place within the multilateral framework of the organisation, with the current discussions centred on SCO activities, coordination and preparations for the next leaders’ summit.