'Attending SCO Summit for Multilateral Dialogue, Not Bilateral Talks with Pakistan', Jaishankar Clarifies

Jaishankar acknowledged that his visit to Pakistan will draw enough media attention, given the nature of the relationship between both nations, but clarified that this was not intended for any talks but necessitated by the 'compulsions' of the SCO Summit.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Saturday called off the possibility of any India-Pakistan dialogue in the near term during his impending visit to the neighboring nation for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit and said it was rather a multi-lateral event.

Jaishankar acknowledged that his visit to Pakistan will draw enough media attention, given the nature of the relationship between both nations, but clarified that this was not intended for any talks but necessitated by the 'compulsions' of the SCO Summit.

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"It will be for a multilateral event. I am not going there to discuss India-Pakistan relations. I am going there to be a good member of the SCO," he said at the sidelines of an event in the national capital.

"But, you know, since I am a courteous and civil person, I will behave myself accordingly," he added.

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The SCO Council of Heads of Government Summit will take place in Pakistan on October 15 and 16.

Expanding further on his visit, he said: "I am scheduled to go to Pakistan in the middle of this month. And that is for a meeting of the SCO heads of government. Normally, the Prime Minister goes to the high-level meeting with the heads of state. That's in line with the tradition. The meeting is happening in Islamabad this year as it happens to be a new member of the grouping, much like us."

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Jaishankar, while speaking on the Sardar Patel lecture on Governance organised by IC Centre for Governance, shed light on the reasons behind SCO's 'failure' in realizing the grouping's aspirations and also made a veiled attack on Pakistan over its terror factories.

"Terrorism is something that cannot be accepted. Notwithstanding the world view on it, one of our neighbors continues to patronize terrorism, and if such is the case, then there must be consequences. It cannot be business as usual in the region. That's why the SAARC meetings have not taken place in recent years.".

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He also added, "But that doesn't mean regional activity has stopped. Actually, over the last 5-6 years, we have seen much more regional integration in the Indian subcontinent. Now, if one talks to these relationships with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, you'll see railway lines being restored, roads being rebuilt, and electricity grids being constructed.

What is interesting, though, is that it is after nearly a decade that the country's External Affairs Minister would be visiting Pakistan, even as the two nations do not see eye-to-eye on issues of terror emanating from Pakistani soil.

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Jaishankar also spoken for reform in the United Nations.

The United Nations needs to be reformed because it is 80 years old. When it was founded, there were 51 members, and not all of them were free. We were one of the founding members. Today, there are 193 members.

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So, if the thing has changed from 51 to 193, how can the management be the same? It doesn't make sense. And if you look at the global economic hierarchy, that has also changed.

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