Will PM Modi attend the SCO Meet in Pakistan?

Pakistan has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting. It will be held on 15th and 16th October in Pakistan. Pakistan is holding this meeting in the capacity of rotating chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Council of Heads of Government(CHG).While speaking to the media, Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zehra Baloch has said that “Invitations have been sent to the heads of countries to participate in the meeting which will take place on October 15-16. An invitation has also been sent to the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi (too)”.SCO council meeting of the heads of government is considered to be the second highest in ranking .The SCO comprises India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. This bloc is one of the largest organisations that works on trans-regional networking. Last year, India hosted the SCO summit through online mode and in this meet Pakistan was represented by its Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharief in the virtual mode. Besides that in 2023,the former Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari arrived in India to attend the SCO council of Foreign Ministers that was held in Goa. While briefing the media about the invitations to the heads of the states, the Pakistani Foreign Office Spokesperson added that Pakistan does not have direct bilateral trade with India. This remark must be decoded to internalise that Pakistan knows well that India this time will not take the invitation on the face value. As Indian policy on Pakistan has undergone a drastic change in the last decade. The reason being the Indian concerns about Pakistan’s meddling in Jammu and Kashmir that includes sponsoring the cross border terrorism to destabilise the region. External affairs Minister S .Jaishankar’s stern message to Pakistan at a book launch function in New Delhi must be seen as a response to Pakistan’s invitation to the Indian prime Minister. He asserted that actions have consequences and an era marked by uninterrupted dialogue with Pakistan is over. This message must be seen in terms of New Delhi’s policy towards Pakistan that clearly says terror and talks can’t go together. He also made it clear that Article 370 is done. It means that the policy of making India hostage to deceit and blackmail is over. And Jammu and Kashmir is like any other part of India and at par with them. His message is clear that India will not remain passive in dealing with Pakistan. In such a situation it is evident that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to visit Pakistan. Even Pakistani foreign policy experts term this invitation as mere protocol. There is speculation that India may send a ministerial delegation to represent India at the SCO meeting. Indeed a lot has changed in terms of policy measures when it comes to Pakistan. Pakistan’s economic situation and its patronisation of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir is self-evident now. The political crisis and simmering logjam between the army and the political players gives a dismal picture of Pakistan’s statecraft. Moreover, Pakistan has seen that India’s political will to neutralise Article 370 and 35 A has reduced its leverage to subvert the politics in Jammu and Kashmir through secessionist forces that fall under several categories ranging from soft separatism to half separatism. These subversive structures have indeed started to crumble and democratic process is already on in Jammu and Kashmir. Keeping in view the losing credibility of Pakistan, India is not bound to play to the Pakistani antics. India must hold its ground and drive home its point that bilateral relations or relations of forums like SCO are not workable till Pakistan lays back and stops its nefarious designs to balkanise India by patronising terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. In this context S. Jaishankar’s no non -sense response must be seen as apt and timely. Pakistan must mend its ways and stop using religious terrorism as state policy against India. In such a scenario, it is unlikely that the Prime Minister will visit Pakistan.