Heading the Indian delegation for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meetings, Alok Dimri noted it is his first trip to Pakistan as Islamabad prepares to host the main summit in August 2027.
A three-day meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) national coordinators concluded in Islamabad on Wednesday, drawing attention for the participation of an Indian delegation amid longstanding bilateral tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Alok Dimri, India’s national coordinator for the SCO and joint secretary in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, told Pakistani state media following the conclusion of talks that he was pleased to visit Pakistan for the first time.
Pakistan assumed the rotating chairmanship of the SCO for the 2026–27 term earlier this month and is scheduled to host the organisation’s heads of state summit in Islamabad in August 2027.
The coordinators’ meeting, held from September 28 to 30, addressed the agenda for Pakistan’s presidency, including upcoming meeting schedules, preparatory arrangements for key events, and broader regional cooperation goals. Pakistan has chosen “Translating Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation, and Shared Prosperity” as the theme for its presidency, placing an emphasis on regional linkages, economic collaboration, and people-to-people exchanges.
Indian Delegation Head Expresses Desire to Visit Lahore and Sialkot
Speaking to state media in remarks shared by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on social media platform X, Dimri said his initial visit had been centered on Islamabad, but he hoped to see other parts of the country.
“My first visit has been to Islamabad. I have a desire to see Lahore, Sialkot, and Faisalabad,” Dimri said, noting that ongoing meetings would take place across various cities throughout the year and highlighting Lahore’s designation as an SCO cultural city.
Dimri also mentioned that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had previously called for a Civilisation Forum Dialogue during an SCO summit in Bishkek, a proposal that member states agreed to advance. He noted that the upcoming Civilisation Dialogue Forum meeting is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on November 20.
“This is a journey where Eurasian and Asian nations have come together on the SCO platform to create an agenda for our betterment, prosperity, and well-being, in which connectivity is a very important issue,” Dimri said, adding that discussions during the Islamabad meetings also touched on regional transit and trade.
The visit marks a rare high-level diplomatic engagement between India and Pakistan, which have not held formal bilateral talks for nearly a decade. The last formal dialogue occurred in December 2015, when then-Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Islamabad, before the process stalled following an attack on the Pathankot air base in January 2016.
New Delhi maintains a position that formal bilateral talks are contingent upon an environment free of terrorism, though it continues to engage with Pakistan within multilateral frameworks such as the SCO.
Broader Regional Context and Expert Perspectives
Nirupama Subramanian, a foreign affairs analyst, told the BBC that both India and Pakistan consistently participate in the SCO framework due to its inclusion of major regional powers like China and Russia.
“Both countries view it as a multilateral platform where China and Russia are also present, making participation important for each,” Subramanian said. She added that India utilises forums like the SCO and BRICS to signal its diversified foreign policy partnerships.
Elizabeth Threlkeld, senior fellow and director of the South Asia Program at the Washington-based Stimson Center, also described the Indian delegation’s presence as a notable development against the backdrop of limited official contact between the two neighbours.
Pakistan’s authorities have indicated that all SCO member state leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will receive invitations to the summit scheduled for August 2027.