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.
- 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.