Qureshi, Sushma unlikely to meet on sidelines of SCO moot

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj will be under ‘one-roof’ at Tajikistan capital Dushanbe later this week to attend two-day heads of government of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) annual meeting.

The Pakistani and Indian foreign ministers will be representing their respective countries’ prime ministers in the huddle. Despite efforts of Russia, China and the host country, the meeting between Shah Mehmood and Sushma is hard to take place.

Well-placed sources told The News here Sunday that Sushma’s meeting with Shah Mehmood in New York on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) summit late last month was called off by India which wasn’t welcomed by any country including the United States. It could augur well for the Indian government back in home due to political reasons, but international observers didn’t approve it. Now the two foreign ministers will be traveling to Dushanbe on Wednesday where they will be attending the heads of government two-day meeting commencing on the following day but none of the two capitals have asked for a sideline meeting between the heads of their delegation.

The sources said that Pakistan isn’t interested in asking for a meeting of the two. If India shows interest for such a meeting, Pakistan would consider it with constructive thinking. The sources pointed out that Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon will be hosting banquet in the honour of visiting heads of government on Thursday (October 11) in Dushanbe. Shah Mehmood Qureshi Sushma are also invited in the banquet, but it is unlikely that the two will have even chat on the occasion since the Indian diplomats don’t want to show back in their country that the two had even shaken hands. The hosts have arranged their seating very close to each other.

Interestingly Pakistan and India joined military exercises for the first time in the history under the auspices of the SCO in Russia in August last. The drill went very well.

The SCO charter binds the member countries to sort out their mutual disputes peacefully and they are required not to engage in confrontation with each other. The observers say that India was defying SCO charter in this regard besides disregarding the United Nations principles on the same count.

Prime Minister Imran Khan was invited for Dushanbe meeting, but the Foreign Office declined his participation like India did in case of its Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua will assist Shah Mehmood in the meeting, the sources said. The foreign minister will be visiting fifth country after assuming the slot about seven weeks ago.