Any thaw in Pakistan and India ties would be seen after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, Indian journalist Suhasini Haidar said on Tuesday after Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar arrived in Islamabad for the meeting.
“This summit should not be seen as an attempt to break the ice during a visit,” she said while appearing on Spotlight with Munizae Jahangir which was aired on Aaj News.
Suhasini is one of the Indian journalists in Pakistan to cover the event.
The SCO also includes Iran, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The Prime Ministers of Belarus and Mongolia are also attending.
The SCO meeting will discuss ongoing cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said. Observers believe the bloc seeks to counter Western influence in the region.
“Indian FM Jaishankar had a choice to attend the meeting via video link like the commerce secretary attended the SCO’s trade meeting last month. This is a positive step because he has come to Pakistan,” Suhasini said.
The Indian journalist agreed with the opinion that the visit could be “quid pro quo” as former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited Goa last year for the SCO meeting.
She was of the view that any development could be seen one or two months after the event.
When asked, Suhasini said that the Indian government fears that any attempt for resumption of ties does not lead to terror attacks. “It will be a liability for them,” she said and hoped for a resumption of trade and road links between the two countries.
“If Pakistan makes an effort, I think Delhi will respond in the same way.”
Another Indian journalist Smita Sharma, who was also on the show via video link from Islamabad, was asked about the impact of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s statement about meeting Indian PM Narendra Modi “in the distant future.”
She said that it has to be “under what capacity” he gave the statement. Smita added that India is also part of organisations that are following non-western orders like BRICS and SCO.
In response to a question about why Modi did not come to the meeting, Smita said that it was the Indian PM’s decision. She added that a heads-of-government gathering of SCO, not a gathering of heads-of-the-state.
The Indian journalist supported her statement by saying that people in Maharashtra would have different sentiments for Pakistan as compared to those living in Punjab because of religious sites.
Smita was of the view that Pakistan should not have invited Islamic preacher Zakir Naik to the country before the summit before the regional summit.
“Before the SCO, Pakistan invites Zakir Naik to the country who is wanted in India. So everyone should respect each other. Even Pakistani people are asking govt to send him back.”
