In a notable moment during the SCO summit, a rare gesture unfolded between India and Pakistan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif exchanged a handshake with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar during a dinner hosted for the heads and delegates attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.
This marks the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan in nearly a decade, underscoring the complex diplomatic ties between the two nuclear-armed nations.
Jaishankar arrived in Islamabad earlier in the day, greeted by children presenting bouquets, ahead of the summit’s main events, scheduled to take place on Wednesday. Despite the symbolic handshake, no formal bilateral meetings are planned, highlighting the ongoing tension in Indo-Pak relations.
The summit, held from October 15 to 16, aims to enhance multilateral cooperation on key issues such as counter-terrorism, economic collaboration, and climate change, marking the 25th meeting of the SCO Heads of State since the organization’s founding in 2001.