First in over six years, Pakistan FM Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Goa for SCO meeting

While there was no bilateral meeting scheduled with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar — both sides have denied requesting a meeting – Bhutto Zardari is expected to attend a dinner for the visiting Foreign Ministers.

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Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari arrives in Goa for the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meet, on Thursday. (ANI)

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In the first visit by a Pakistan Foreign Minister after a six-year hiatus, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari arrived in Goa on Thursday. Stating that his visit was “focused exclusively” on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ meeting, he said he was looking forward to “constructive discussions” with his counterparts from “friendly countries”.

While there was no bilateral meeting scheduled with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar — both sides have denied requesting a meeting – Bhutto Zardari is expected to attend a dinner for the visiting Foreign Ministers. So far, Indian officials have signalled that they would not be interested in a meeting, as ties between the two countries have been strained for the last seven years.

“I am very happy to reach Goa to lead the Pakistani delegation at the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting. I expect the SCO CFM meeting to be successful,” said Bhutto Zardari, who was received at the Goa airport by Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) who looks after Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, J P Singh.

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Earlier in the day, before leaving for Goa, he had said: “My decision to attend this meeting illustrates Pakistan’s strong commitment to the charter of the SCO…during my visit, which is focused exclusively on the SCO, I look forward to constructive discussions with my counterparts from friendly countries.”

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Earlier, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had made it clear that Pakistan would attend the multilateral meeting. “Pakistan’s decision to attend SCO Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting in India reflects our commitment to the SCO Charter & multilateralism. We are committed to playing our part to advance our shared values of peace & stability in the region. We are all for win-win understandings based on connectivity, trade and mutually advantageous cooperation,” Sharif tweeted.

Pakistan’s decision to attend SCO Council of Foreign Minister’s meeting in India reflects our commitment to the SCO Charter & multilateralism. We are committed to playing our part to advance our shared values of peace & stability in the region. We are all for win win…

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) May 4, 2023

Bhutto Zardari’s presence on Indian soil assumes significance at a time when bilateral relations are at an all-time low. The last such visit was in December 2016, when Pakistan’s then Foreign Minister, Sartaj Aziz, travelled to Amritsar to attend the Heart of Asia conference. But as his then Indian counterpart, Sushma Swaraj, was unwell, there was no bilateral meeting.

Shubhajit Roy

Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More

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