Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will participate in the 23rd Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Council of Heads of State (CHS) at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to a press release issued by the Foreign Office (FO) on Friday.

The FO said the CHS moot, the highest forum of the SCO, will be held in videoconference format on July 4 (Tuesday).

“The invitation to the prime minister to attend the SCO-CHS was extended by the prime minister of India in his capacity as the current chair of the SCO,” the press release reads.

It added that PM Shehbaz’s participation “illustrates the high importance that Pakistan attaches to the SCO, as an important forum for regional security and prosperity, and enhanced engagement with the region”.

The FO said leaders will deliberate on important global and regional issues and chart the future direction of cooperation among SCO member states in the forthcoming CHS.

It added that the CHS will also welcome Iran as a new SCO member this year.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited the Indian city of Goa last month to attend the SCO’s Council of Foreign Ministers meeting.

“As far as the Kashmir issue, bilateral issues between Pakistan and India and the responsibilities of multilateralism are concerned, my conclusion after the trip is that it is a productive and positive decision to participate in the event,” he had later said about his trip while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Opinion

Editorial

All out
Updated 25 Feb, 2025

All out

PAKISTAN cricket captain Mohammad Rizwan’s assessment was brutal — it could not have been any other way. At ...
Bearing the brunt
25 Feb, 2025

Bearing the brunt

FOR the past several months, we have repeatedly been told by the prime minister and his cabinet that the government...
Afghan resettlement
25 Feb, 2025

Afghan resettlement

AFGHAN refugees who fled their country after the Taliban took over in 2021, and who hoped to resettle in the West,...
Taliban divisions
Updated 24 Feb, 2025

Taliban divisions

The only workable solution lies in Mullah Akhundzada loosening his iron grip on the country.
Oblivious to drought
24 Feb, 2025

Oblivious to drought

PAKISTAN faces two types of drought: one caused by dry weather or lower-than-normal rainfall, and the other ...
Digital children
24 Feb, 2025

Digital children

AS most parents with young children will agree, the easiest way to pacify a bawling child is to hand them a...