has invited Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto among other members to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting to be held tentatively in Goa in early May this year,
officials confirmed. Invitations for the SCO summit, expected to be held in June this year, would also go out to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif shortly.
The dates and venues for both meeting were discussed during the third meeting of the SCO coordinators in Varanasi on January 17, and previous meetings held in Delhi, led by Indian SCO National Coordinator Yojna Patel.
Pakistan’s SCO National Coordinator took part in the Varanasi meeting virtually, although coordinators had travelled to India last year for previous meetings, including the SCO- Regional Anti Terror Structure meet.
While the invitations for the SCO summit are considered a routine matter as India is chairing the SCO grouping this year, the events will be significant as they will bring the Pakistani leadership to India after a decade.
It will also bring the Chinese leadership and Russian leadership to India in the same year as they are also invited for the G20 events.