SCO meeting 2023: India has formally invited its neighbour, Pakistan’s foreign minister and its chief justice to the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting, despite a major controversy following his controversial remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Specifically, the SCO is an intergovernmental organization consisting of eight member states – China, India, Russia and Pakistan – and four Asian nations – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Usually, heads of state attend this important meeting, irrespective of their political and policy differences.
Earlier last year, India took over the rotating chairmanship of the SCO in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Accordingly, New Delhi will chair the grouping for one year till September 2023. However, the trickiest deal would be for Pakistan to send its top leaders or skip the crucial meeting by sending only its representatives.
Fierce tussle between India and Pakistan
This year, India’s invitation to Islamabad assumes significance amid the fact that the two countries had exchanged heated arguments several times at the United Nations.
Addressing a press conference on the sidelines of a UN meeting in December last year, Pakistan’s FM Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari created a huge stir by calling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi the “butcher of Gujarat”. Bhutto blamed Mr. Modi for the communal violence that broke out in Gujarat in 2002, when he was the state’s chief minister.
Bhutto’s contradictory claim came last month, even after India’s Supreme Court acquitted Mr Modi of all charges, including those of other politicians. Bhutto’s critical remarks sparked a major controversy around the world, with some former Pakistani diplomats and officials describing her statement as a “new low”. In India, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party held nationwide protests against Bhutto’s controversial remarks against the prime minister.
India’s befitting reply to Islamabad
Subsequently, on another occasion, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar gave a strong reply to his Pakistani counterpart during a debate at the UN forum and highlighted how their country has become a “hub of terrorism”. Which is affecting India and the United Nations. State. He recalled Pakistan’s role in carrying out two of the deadliest terrorist incidents – the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, which killed over 175 people in 2008, and the September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11. In which more than 3,000 people were killed. Attack on the World Trade Center (WTO).
Why did India invite Pakistan despite Finance Minister’s controversial remarks?
It is notable that the host county has to invite all member countries regardless of tensions with other countries. On Thursday, Pakistan confirmed India’s invitation to the foreign minister but did not confirm its plans.
“Both India and Pakistan are members of the SCO. India is hosting the conference this year and has extended an invitation to us as the Chair. The invitation is being reviewed. Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told a weekly briefing on Thursday that a decision on whether to attend the meeting would be taken after consultations.
Pakistan will have to send either its head of state or representatives to the upcoming SCO summit to be held in Goa from May 4 to 5, even though the two countries have been at loggerheads on the international stage.
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Pakistan won’t risk boasting about its biggest lender amid crisis
On the other hand, China, which is also a member of the inter-governmental organization and a major lender to Pakistan, will certainly force Islamabad’s top diplomat to attend the meeting. Other factors included the troubled economic situation in Pakistan, which would not allow the country to pursue its so-called “national interests”.
He will also try his best to hold talks with Russia on the sidelines of the meeting. It is highly possible that amid the energy crisis in the debt-ridden country, the Shehbaz Sharif-led government will try to persuade Moscow to give them subsidized oil.
Pakistan PM wants “friendly relations” with New Delhi
Earlier last week, Prime Minister Sharif also admitted that the three wars with India were its biggest blunder and urged to develop friendly relations with the neighboring country at a time when it was facing worst economic crisis . In an interview with Dubai-based Al Arabiya TV, Sharif said Pakistan had learned its lesson after three wars with India and asserted that it now wanted peace with its neighbour.
“My message to the Indian leadership and Prime Minister Modi is that let’s sit down at the table and have a serious and honest conversation to resolve our burning points like Kashmir. It is up to us whether we live in peace and progress or fight among ourselves and waste time and resources,” Sharif said.
Although the Prime Minister’s Office later did a U-turn from Sharaf’s statement, it is quite possible that the Prime Minister will force Bhutto to start friendly talks with New Delhi. Interestingly, if Pakistan’s Finance Minister visits India, it will be the first time that their Foreign Minister will visit India in almost 12 years.
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