India-Pakistan Tensions Persist as SCO Summit Approaches

Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar rules out bilateral talks with Pakistan during his upcoming visit for the SCO summit.

Overview

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will attend the SCO summit in Pakistan on October 15-16 but has stated he will not engage in bilateral talks with Pakistan.
Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained since 2019, following the Pulwama attack and India's subsequent airstrike in Balakot.
Jaishankar emphasized the visit is for a multilateral event, reflecting India's commitment to the SCO rather than a move to improve relations with Pakistan.
India insists that any improvement in relations is contingent on Pakistan addressing cross-border terrorism, a long-standing point of contention.
Pakistan downgraded its diplomatic ties with India after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019.