The Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is set to convene in Islamabad on October 15–16. Pakistan has formally invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend. The invitation was sent to all heads of state of the SCO, according to Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, a spokesman for Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The declaration came after Defense Minister Khawaja Asif had previously stated that Modi would receive an invitation to the regional meeting.
PM Modi received the invitation despite the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India having previously denied rumors that he could boycott the SCO meeting. With the aim of highlighting the SCO's dedication to regional cooperation, Pakistan has extended a formal invitation to all of its members.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, established on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai, is a permanent intergovernmental international organization originally formed by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It replaced the Shanghai Five mechanism and has since expanded to include nine member states.
The upcoming SCO meeting in Islamabad will be an important event for the regional bloc, which now also includes India and Iran. The SCO continues to play a significant role in regional security and economic cooperation, with the summit expected to address various issues pertinent to the member states.
