New Delhi: India will invite Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan along with other leaders for the annual meeting of council of heads of government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization later this year, officials said.
Though the schedule of the summit hasn't been decided yet, it will be for the first time that India will be extending an invitation to Imran Khan since his commencement of office in 2018.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said all eight member countries, four observers and dialogue partners of the grouping will be invited for the meeting.
"The meeting is held annually at the prime minister's level and it discusses the SCO's programme and multilateral economic and trade cooperation," he said at a media briefing.
"As per the established practice and procedure within SCO, all 8 members of SCO, as well as 4 observer states and other international dialogue partners will be invited to attend the meeting," Kumar said when asked whether Pakistan Prime Minister Khan will be sent an invitation to the meeting.
When asked specifically whether Khan will be invited, another official said, "yes".
Despite calls from Pakistan PM to hold a constructive dialogue to resolve bilateral issues including Kashmir, India has time and again repeated that until Pakistan takes concrete and verifiable action against terror emanating from its soil it won't hold any dialogues.In the 2019 SCO summit in Bishkek, apart from a brief interaction, both leaders didn't hold any formal summit. India has snubbed Pakistan PM at various platforms as the tensions between both nations have soared.
Modi administration has maintained its position at the 74th United Nations General Assembly session in 2019 as well where both leaders arrived at the same time but didn't meet.
The relation between both nations has been all-time low since the Pathankot airbase terror attack. The situation turned more intense after the Pulwama terror attack in February last year in which nearly 42 CRPF personnel were killed. Post which, India retaliated by launching an airstrike at Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camp in Balakot.
It was for the first since the 1971 war when air forces of both countries were engaged in aerial combat. During this, India's Air Force official Captain Abhinandan who brought down Pakistan's F16 with his MIG 21 Bison was nabbed and later released by Pakistan under immense international pressure created by India.
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