India Delegation in Islamabad for Three-Day SCO Planning Meet After UNGA Exchange

 

Indian and other SCO member-state delegates attend a meeting in Islamabad as Pakistan begins preparations for its 2026–27 SCO chairmanship. Photo credit:Prime Minister’s Office/ Wikimedia commons.

Islamabad/New Delhi, September 29, 2026: An Indian delegation has reached Islamabad to participate in a three-day meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Council of National Coordinators, just days after India and Pakistan exchanged sharp remarks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The meeting is being held from September 28 to 30 and is focused on preparations for SCO activities during Pakistan’s 2026–27 chairmanship, as well as groundwork for the organisation’s next leaders’ summit in Islamabad in August 2027.

Indian delegation led by Alok Dimri

India’s delegation is being led by Alok Dimri, the country’s SCO National Coordinator and an Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. The Indian team arrived in Islamabad on Monday for the meeting.

The discussions are taking place within the SCO framework, which includes India and Pakistan as members. Both countries joined the organisation as full members in 2017.

Pakistan assumed the SCO Council of Heads of State chairmanship from Kyrgyzstan on September 1. During its year-long chairmanship, Islamabad is scheduled to host the SCO Council of Heads of State summit in August 2027.

What is being discussed?

According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, national coordinators are discussing the organisation’s programme of activities under Pakistan’s chairmanship, preparations for upcoming SCO meetings and events, and other issues related to cooperation and coordination among member states.

Pakistan has chosen “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity” as the theme of its SCO chairmanship.

Islamabad says its priorities include greater regional connectivity, innovation, economic cooperation and stronger people-to-people contacts.

 The coordinators’ meeting is also expected to help organise the schedule of meetings and other engagements leading up to next year’s summit.

Meeting comes after UNGA exchanges

The Islamabad meeting comes shortly after the Indian and Pakistani leaderships exchanged criticism at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, speaking for India, reiterated New Delhi’s position on terrorism and said India would exercise its right to defend itself against terrorism. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had earlier criticised India over its actions during the previous military confrontation between the two countries.

Despite those differences, India has continued to participate in SCO meetings hosted by Pakistan. An Indian delegation also attended an SCO border-services meeting in Islamabad in July 2026.

India-Pakistan engagement remains limited

The SCO provides a multilateral platform where Indian and Pakistani officials can participate in the same meetings even while their bilateral relationship remains strained.

The last visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan was in October 2024, when Jaishankar travelled to Islamabad for the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting.

India has also continued participating in other SCO-related meetings held in Pakistan during 2026.

The current national coordinators’ meeting, however, is an SCO-level engagement rather than a bilateral India-Pakistan dialogue. Its formal agenda centres on the organisation’s programme and preparations for upcoming SCO events.

2027 SCO summit ahead

The three-day meeting is an early step in preparations for the August 2027 SCO summit in Islamabad. Pakistan has indicated that invitations will be extended to the leaders of all SCO member states, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. New Delhi has said that a decision on the level of India’s participation will be taken at the appropriate time.

For now, the Indian delegation’s participation demonstrates that New Delhi continues to engage through the SCO framework while broader India-Pakistan bilateral relations remain unsettled.

Sources: Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Business Standard, ThePrint, New Indian Express.