Pakistan reaffirms 'open, inclusive' SCO chairmanship as India attends Islamabad meeting

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday reaffirmed his country's commitment to an open, inclusive and constructive chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), saying the grouping's shared vision must be translated into practical cooperation and tangible outcomes.

Mr. Dar was addressing the National Coordinators of SCO member states, along with senior representatives of the SCO Secretariat and the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), in Islamabad on September 30, the final day of a three-day meeting that began on September 28.

The deliberations were chaired by Pakistan's National Coordinator Mohammad Faisal. The Indian delegation was led by its National Coordinator, Alok Dimri.

The SCO's member states are China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus. India and Pakistan both became full members of the organisation in 2017.

According to Pakistan's Foreign Office, Mr. Dar welcomed the National Coordinators to the first meeting of the Council of National Coordinators held under Pakistan's chairmanship, and reaffirmed Islamabad's commitment to a chairmanship guided by the 'Shanghai Spirit' — the principles of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation and common development.

He underlined the theme of Pakistan's chairmanship, 'Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity', and stressed the need to convert the organisation's shared vision into practical cooperation and results on the ground. He also spoke about preparations to host the SCO Heads of State summit in Islamabad in August 2027, and called for close coordination among member states to ensure a successful chairmanship.

Announcing the meeting earlier, the Pakistani Foreign Minister had said the agenda covered a wide range of issues relating to SCO cooperation and coordination. These included the programme of activities under Pakistan's chairmanship, preparations for forthcoming SCO meetings and events, and other matters on the organisation's agenda.

The Indian delegation's presence in Islamabad is notable: it is the first such visit since the brief India-Pakistan conflict last year. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had earlier led India's delegation to Islamabad on October 15-16, 2024, for the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting — the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan in nearly a decade. That meeting took place against the backdrop of longstanding tensions between the two neighbours, with both sides limiting the visit to the multilateral agenda.

The SCO, founded in 2001, works on security, economic and cultural cooperation across a vast stretch of Eurasia. Its regional counter-terrorism body, RATS, is headquartered in Tashkent. The Council of National Coordinators is the body that coordinates the day-to-day implementation of the organisation's decisions and prepares the ground for higher-level meetings.

The current round of talks in Islamabad is part of the run-up to the leaders' summit Pakistan is due to host in 2027. The National Coordinators' meetings typically finalise the draft agenda, documents and declarations that heads of state are asked to approve, making them a key stage in any chairmanship's calendar.

For India, participation in SCO meetings hosted by Pakistan is consistent with its approach of engaging through multilateral platforms while maintaining its stated positions on bilateral disputes. For Pakistan, a smooth chairmanship ending with a successful summit in Islamabad is a diplomatic priority, and the presence of all member states' representatives at the coordinators' meeting is a step in that direction.

Officials did not announce any bilateral meetings between the Indian and Pakistani delegations on the sidelines of the SCO discussions. Further rounds of coordinators' meetings are expected in the coming months as preparations for the 2027 summit continue.