India's Foreign Minister Jaishankar to Visit Pakistan, Signaling Desire to Stabilize Troubled Relationship

Strategic Insights -

India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar is set to visit Pakistan later this month for the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) summit, marking a rare high-level visit by an Indian official to Islamabad. The visit, although primarily for the SCO summit, opens up the possibility of a bilateral meeting between Jaishankar and Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, pending a proposal from the host country. This move signifies India's willingness to stabilize its relationship with Pakistan, which has been downgraded since the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status in August 2019.

Key Takeaways:

  • India's decision to send Foreign Minister Jaishankar, rather than a junior minister or participating virtually, signifies a bold move to stabilize the relationship with Pakistan.
  • Jaishankar's visit is seen as an opportunity for Pakistan to propose a meaningful bilateral conversation on the SCO summit sidelines.
  • The visit is the first high-level visit by an Indian official to Islamabad since the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status in August 2019.
  • India's last High Commissioner to Pakistan, Ajay Bisaria, noted that the ball is now in Pakistan's court, and that the host country must seize this opportunity to propose a meaningful conversation.
  • Foreign Secretary Jaishankar's participation in the SCO summit underscores India's significance of the Eurasian bloc.
  • Jaishankar's visit to Pakistan is a repeat of his role as Foreign Secretary when he accompanied then-Union Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj to Pakistan in 2015 for Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process talks.

Statistics:

  • August 2019: India revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status, downgrading relations with Pakistan.
  • 2015: Foreign Secretary Jaishankar accompanied Union Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj to Pakistan for the Heart of Asia-Islamabad Process talks.
  • SCO summit: The summit is expected to be held later this month in Pakistan, with Foreign Minister Jaishankar in attendance.

Sources:

  • "MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the visit was about SCO and not much should be read into it."
  • Ajay Bisaria, India's last High Commissioner to Pakistan: "Pakistan must seize this opportunity and as the host propose a meaningful bilateral conversation on SCO sidelines."
  • India's media channel: "Foreign Minister Jaishankar is set to visit Pakistan later this month for the SCO summit."