In first such visit in nine years, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar reaches Pakistan
NEW DELHI, OCT 15 : External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reached Islamabad on Tuesday ahead of the 23rd Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO) Leaders Summit.
This is the first time in nine years that an Indian External Affairs Minister has gone to Pakistan. Jaishankar was received at the Nur Khan airport by the Pakistan Foreign Ministry’s DG South Asia Ilyas Nizami.
Jaishankar will attend a dinner hosted for the visiting dignitaries by the Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday.
The summit will take place on Wednesday.
“Normally the PM would have gone. We are going for a multilateral event and not to discuss India Pakistan relations. I am going there to be a good member of the SCO and since I am a civil and courteous person I will behave myself accordingly,” Jaishankar had said earlier.
Jaishankar had also said that like any neighbour India would like to have good relations with Pakistan but that cannot happen overlooking cross-border terrorism.
The SCO Summit meeting is held annually and focuses on the trade and economic agenda of the organisation.
“India remains actively engaged in the SCO format, including various mechanisms and initiatives within the SCO framework,” said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
-PTI
