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DPA
New Delhi
New Delhi will invite Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit when it hosts the event later this year, Indian officials said on Thursday.
“India will be hosting the heads of government summit later this year. As per established practice and procedure within SCO, all the eight members as well as four observer states and other international dialogue partners will be invited,” Foreign Office spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters in New Delhi.
The SCO is a China-led economic and security bloc to which India and Pakistan were admitted in 2017. India is hosting the SCO meet for the first time.
A final decision on whether Khan attends the meeting, slated for October, is to be made by Islamabad. In past years, countries have sometimes sent their foreign ministers instead of their head of government, officials said.
If Khan decides to come, it will be his first visit to India as prime minister, setting the stage for a meeting with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and a possible thawing of ties.
In August, India’s decision to revoke the special constitutional status of its part of Kashmir and impose a lockdown on the region further spiked tensions between the neighbours, which have fought two wars over Kashmir.
New Delhi
New Delhi will invite Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit when it hosts the event later this year, Indian officials said on Thursday.
“India will be hosting the heads of government summit later this year. As per established practice and procedure within SCO, all the eight members as well as four observer states and other international dialogue partners will be invited,” Foreign Office spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters in New Delhi.
The SCO is a China-led economic and security bloc to which India and Pakistan were admitted in 2017. India is hosting the SCO meet for the first time.
A final decision on whether Khan attends the meeting, slated for October, is to be made by Islamabad. In past years, countries have sometimes sent their foreign ministers instead of their head of government, officials said.
If Khan decides to come, it will be his first visit to India as prime minister, setting the stage for a meeting with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and a possible thawing of ties.
In August, India’s decision to revoke the special constitutional status of its part of Kashmir and impose a lockdown on the region further spiked tensions between the neighbours, which have fought two wars over Kashmir.
