…Researched and contributed by Jack Sylva.
Pakistan’s foreign minister will attend an international conference in India next month, marking the first official visit by one of Islamabad’s top diplomats since 2016.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers gathering in Goa on May 4-5, according to Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s foreign ministry.
Trade and diplomatic ties between the two countries were suspended in 2019, following New Delhi’s decision to impose direct rule on the part of Muslim-majority Kashmir it controls and enforce a heavy security lockdown.
This led to both countries withdrawing their top diplomats, and several consular staff were expelled or withdrawn in tit-for-tat measures.
Significance of the visit
It remains unclear whether Bhutto will have any bilateral meetings with Indian officials during the SCO meeting, but analysts have described the visit as significant.
“Broader confidence-building measures are required to engage economically with India, but this is an important milestone in the history of Pakistan-India relations,” said Qamar Cheema, an Islamabad-based analyst.
Pakistan-India relations
Relations between the nuclear-armed nations have been tense ever since they were created out of the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, with their conflict over Kashmir resulting in three full-fledged wars and numerous minor skirmishes.
The most recent high-ranking visit by a Pakistani diplomat to India was in 2016 when Sartaj Aziz, then a senior adviser to the prime minister on foreign affairs, traveled to New Delhi.
Pakistan’s commitment to the SCO Charter
India currently holds the rotating presidency of the SCO, which was established in 2001 and is considered a political, economic, and security organization to rival Western institutions.
Pakistan’s participation in the meeting “reflects Pakistan’s commitment to the SCO Charter and processes and the importance that Pakistan accords to the region in its foreign policy priorities,” said Baloch.
Commentary:
This development is significant as it marks the first official visit by one of Islamabad’s top diplomats to India since 2016.
The fact that Bhutto is attending an international conference in India is a positive sign, as it suggests that both countries may be willing to engage with each other despite their ongoing tensions over Kashmir.
While it is unclear whether there will be any bilateral meetings between Pakistani and Indian officials on the sidelines of the SCO meeting, the fact that Bhutto is attending the conference at all is a step in the right direction.
The SCO was established in 2001 as a political, economic, and security organization to rival Western institutions, and Pakistan’s participation in the meeting demonstrates its commitment to the region in its foreign policy priorities.