Senior Correspondent, Dhaka
India’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) national coordinators’ meeting in Islamabad from September 28–30 highlights the bloc’s role as a channel for multilateral engagement despite persistent India-Pakistan differences.
India’s national coordinator, Alok Dimri, is expected to attend the meeting, which will review the program of activities under Pakistan’s 2026–27 chairmanship and prepare for upcoming SCO engagements, including the Council of Heads of State summit scheduled for Islamabad in August 2027.
The immediate significance of the meeting lies less in bilateral diplomacy than in keeping institutional cooperation within the SCO functioning. India has remained active in the organization since becoming a full member in 2017, even as its bilateral engagement with Pakistan has remained limited.
For Islamabad, the meeting also provides an early test of its ability to advance its chairmanship agenda. Pakistan has outlined priorities including connectivity, innovation, economic cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges under the theme “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation, and Shared Prosperity.”
The larger question, however, concerns the 2027 summit. While India’s participation in SCO mechanisms is continuing, New Delhi’s position on broader engagement with Pakistan remains linked to concerns over cross-border terrorism. Consequently, India’s attendance at the coordinators’ meeting does not by itself indicate a shift in bilateral relations.
The Islamabad meeting therefore represents a practical continuation of multilateral engagement, while the question of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the 2027 summit remains separate and unresolved.
