Islamabad: Pakistan has officially extended an invite to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting scheduled in Islamabad in October, according to the Foreign Office spokesperson on Thursday. This comes amid strained relations between India and Pakistan particularly over the Kashmir issue, as well as cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
Pakistan is set to host the SCO heads of government meeting on October 15 -16. The event will be preceded by a ministerial meeting and several rounds of senior officials’ meetings focused on financial, economic, socio-cultural, and humanitarian cooperation among the SCO member states. During a weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch said invitations have been sent to heads of countries for participation in the summit.
“An invitation has also been sent to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi,” Dawn quoted her as saying, adding that some countries had already confirmed their participation in the meeting. “It will be informed in due course which country has confirmed.”
When asked about ties with India, Baloch said, “Pakistan does not have direct bilateral trade with India.”
More to follow..