India to hold SCO meeting virtually

• Move to hold the SCO meeting virtually is unexpected.
• India to chair SCO Council of heads of state moot.
• India government has not cited any reason for move.

ISLAMABAD: India has announced to hold the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State Summit via video conference on July 4.

Announcing the decision on Tuesday, the Indian foreign ministry said the 22nd SCO meeting would be held virtually and be presided over by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Singh Modi.

The move to hold the SCO meeting virtually is unexpected and the Indian government has not cited any reason for it, which is leading to speculations and conflicting opinions.

Quoting sources privy to the development, the Indian media commented that the decision was made on Monday and had nothing to do with the engagements of the leadership of SCO member countries.

They said the leadership of China and Russia have to attend the G20 meeting in September.

Had the leaders of member countries been invited in person, it would be Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first visit to India after the breakout of the Russia-Ukraine war.

In addition, there were also prospects of meeting Pakistan and China’s leadership with the Indian leadership.

Experts in Pakistan are of the view that India made the decision to go virtually to prevent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif from visiting India.

Earlier this month, Foreign Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari attended the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting in Goa, India, where he met several of his counterparts, but did not hold a bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

The SCO is a political and security bloc that includes Pakistan, Russia, China — and India has been the chair since September.