Thu Oct 17 14:15:39 UTC 2024: ## India-Pakistan Ties Show Signs of Warming, While India Opposes China’s Belt and Road Initiative at SCO Summit

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Islamabad saw a cautious thawing in relations between India and Pakistan, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar holding talks with his Pakistani counterpart, Muhammad Ishaq Dar. This marked the first visit by an Indian External Affairs Minister to Pakistan in nine years.

During the summit, Jaishankar and Dar held two rounds of discussions in less than 24 hours, which reportedly included exploring the possibility of resuming cricketing ties between the two nations. While these talks remain preliminary, they indicate a potential first step towards improving bilateral relations, with the Champions Trophy in February 2024 being a possible starting point.

However, India remained firm in its opposition to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), refusing to endorse the joint communique that reaffirmed support for the project. Jaishankar, in his address, emphasized that cooperation must be based on mutual respect, sovereign equality, and genuine partnerships, not unilateral agendas. He also expressed concern about activities across borders characterized by terrorism, extremism, and separatism, seemingly directed towards both Pakistan and China.

China, while not mentioning the BRI specifically, called for boosting regional trade, investment, and connectivity, highlighting its commitment to the project. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged the SCO members to avoid viewing such initiatives through a “narrow political prism” and invest in shared connectivity capacities.

The summit also saw criticism of Western nations’ unilateral sanctions imposed on Russia and Iran, with the communique highlighting their negative impact on international economic relations.

India’s stance on the BRI and the ongoing tensions with China were the defining points of the summit. While the prospect of improved India-Pakistan ties offers a glimmer of hope, the regional landscape remains complex, with the SCO’s future trajectory likely to be shaped by the interplay of these competing interests.

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