Islamabad: In the last 24 hours, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar had at least two conversations with his Pakistani counterpart, foreign minister M. Ishaq Dar – once during dinner on Tuesday and again in a more detailed discussion over lunch on Wednesday afternoon, after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit concluded, according to Pakistani officials.
Pakistani officials were visibly relieved, not only because their largest diplomatic event in 27 years – a meeting of the SCO council of heads of government – went smoothly, but also because Jaishankar’s visit passed without the typical verbal clashes that have marked bilateral relations in recent years.
It was the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan in nine years.
Just as Jaishankar left Islamabad, he posted on his X account: “Departing from Islamabad. Thank PM @CMShehbaz, DPM & FM @MIshaqDar50 and the Government of Pakistan for the hospitality and courtesies”.
The post capped a visit that ended on an unusually positive note.
Departing from Islamabad. Thank PM @CMShehbaz, DPM & FM @MIshaqDar50 and the Government of Pakistan for the hospitality and courtesies. pic.twitter.com/wftT91yrKj
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 16, 2024
Jaishankar arrived in Islamabad aboard a special flight at 3:30 pm local time on Tuesday (October 15) and, as per the summit’s schedule, attended an informal dinner at Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s residence for SCO participants.
It had been reported that Jaishankar sat at the table with the heads of other delegations, including Sharif, though there was no conversation between them as other guests were seated in between.
Pakistani sources claimed that there was a brief “pull-aside” between Jaishankar and foreign minister Dar lasting around five or ten minutes during the dinner.
They were joined by Pakistan’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, who also chairs the Pakistan Cricket Board, steering the conversation towards cricket – a mutual interest, as Jaishankar is known to be a keen cricket enthusiast.
According to Pakistani officials, it was suggested during the discussion that restoring cricketing ties could be a potential step toward improving relations.
The next morning, Sharif’s national statement remained strictly focused on the SCO’s agenda. While bilateral disputes are not typically addressed at the SCO, there were also no veiled or indirect references to India regarding unrest within Pakistan or the Kashmir issue in his remarks.
In his speech, Jaishankar emphasised the importance of implementing the SCO’s charter, which addresses combating terrorism, extremism and separatism. He stressed that peace and stability were essential to fostering regional economic integration across borders.
Pakistani sources told The Wire that they did not perceive Jaishankar’s speech as a rebuke, noting that the implementation of the SCO charter is non-controversial and not directed at any single country.
Jaishankar published a post that described the SCO meeting as “productive” and listed eight takeaways from it.
Similarly, Sharif’s speech was positively received across the border, with sources highlighting that both countries refrained from attacking each other, instead making “balanced” statements.
After the summit’s outcome documents were signed, participants were hosted for lunch. Jaishankar and Dar engaged in another extended conversation, initially in the waiting lounge and later during the luncheon.
Officials, however, did not describe this as a “pull-aside”, noting that they were not speaking privately but in the presence of other summit participants. Diplomatic sources indicated that they sat together during lunch, which was significant as this was a change from the original seating arrangement.
Observers noted that expectations are so low that any India-Pakistan encounter that avoids devolving into verbal sparring is viewed as a positive outcome.
Relations between the two countries are currently in a deep freeze, especially after India’s August 2019 constitutional amendment that revoked the autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir. An outraged Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties and snapped trade links in response.
However, ties were already deteriorating prior to that.
The relief over the absence of such clashes was a stark contrast to last year’s SCO foreign ministers’ meeting in Goa, where then-Pakistani foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s visit was overshadowed by tensions.
At that event, Jaishankar raised the issue of “cross-border terrorism”, prompting Zardari to respond by calling for countries to move beyond “weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point-scoring”.
However, officials from both India and Pakistan have not characterised the visit as a thaw in ties, as relations have deteriorated to the extent that several more steps are needed for normalisation.
Pakistani officials said that the next multilateral event that the Indian and Pakistani leadership will attend together is the COP29 summit in Baku, Azerbaijan later this year.
