India Participates in Ongoing SCO Meeting in Islamabad

Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Despite ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, representatives from all member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)—including India—are participating in the meeting of national coordinators currently underway in Islamabad.

India has sent a delegation to Islamabad to attend the SCO coordinators' meeting.

The delegation is led by Alok Dimri, a senior official from the Ministry of External Affairs.

Alok Dimri is a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs and also serves as India's coordinator for the SCO. There have been no bilateral talks between India and Pakistan for nearly a decade.

The last round of talks between the two countries took place in December 2015. At that time, India's then-External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had visited Islamabad with a proposal to restart the "comprehensive bilateral dialogue" process.

However, the process stalled again following the Pathankot attack in January 2016.

The Indian government's stance has been that dialogue with Pakistan is possible only when the "atmosphere is completely free from extremism."

Nevertheless, India remains willing to engage with Pakistan on multilateral platforms like the SCO.

Pakistan to Hold SCO Presidency Next Year

This meeting is taking place at a time when Pakistan has assumed the SCO presidency for the 2026-27 term. Additionally, Islamabad is set to host the summit of the organization's Heads of State in August 2027.

The three-day meeting, which began on September 28, is scheduled to conclude on September 30. Discussions are underway regarding the schedule of SCO activities during Pakistan's presidency. Additionally, discussions are underway regarding upcoming meetings, preparations for key events, and other issues related to the organization's agenda.

India's participation in this meeting is considered particularly significant because it is taking place amidst a climate of tension in bilateral relations between the two countries.

This meeting in Islamabad also marks the initial phase of preparations for the SCO summit scheduled for next year.

Pakistan has stated that leaders of all SCO member nations will be invited to the summit scheduled for August 2027, meaning an invitation will also be extended to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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