Pakistan calls Indian SCO delegation's Islamabad visit a welcome step

Pakistan on Thursday described the visit of an Indian delegation to Islamabad for a three-day meeting of the National Coordinators of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as a "welcome step". The delegation, led by Alok Dmiri, attended the meeting, which ended on Wednesday. It was the first visit by an Indian delegation to Islamabad since last year's four-day conflict.

Speaking at the weekly media briefing, Foreign Office spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan said the visit reflected shared regional goals. The SCO member states are Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus and China.

Asked about the visit, Khan said: "Indeed, it was after a gap of perhaps more than two years that we had a senior official visiting Pakistan from India. And...he expressed his keenness to visit some other places in Pakistan as well, such as Sialkot and Faisalabad, as I recall, and Lahore, which he termed the cultural capital of the SCO for the next one year." He added: "His presence here reflected the commonality of views as well as objectives of the entire region with regard to peace, development, connectivity, trade, and transit, which he also remarked upon in his interview. So, it is a welcome step."

Khan said the SCO national coordinators reviewed activities and key initiatives under Pakistan's chairmanship, discussed preparations for upcoming SCO meetings, and exchanged views on strengthening coordination and practical cooperation. He said the coordinators on Wednesday also called on Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who highlighted Pakistan's priorities for its SCO chairmanship and its commitment to working closely with all member states to advance the organisation's objectives.

At the same briefing, Khan said Pakistan "strongly condemns the arbitrary action" after being asked about reports that a portion of a mosque was damaged during the removal of obstructions for road-widening work in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain. On US sanctions against Iran, he said Pakistan adheres, and will continue to adhere, to all applicable sanctions regimes in line with international and domestic laws. On Pakistan's role as a mediator between Iran and the US, he said it was important to continue urging both sides to exercise restraint, resolve outstanding issues through dialogue and diplomacy, and honour their respective commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. "Pakistan believes that this is the only viable pathway to resolving the conflict amicably and peacefully, in the larger interest of global peace and security," he said.

Overall, Pakistan used the briefing to welcome the Indian delegation's visit for the SCO meeting, outline discussions held under its chairmanship, and set out its position on the Ujjain mosque issue, sanctions on Iran and efforts to encourage dialogue between Iran and the US.