ISLAMABAD: India has failed to obtain nod from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) counties to host its heads of government meeting in November this year due to the intense COVID-19 situation. The foreign ministers of the member countries who concluded their conclave in Moscow on Friday could no develop any consensus on this count and the decision has been left with the SCO’s Beijing-based Secretariat.
The decision for holding heads of government council meeting was decided last year based on alphabetic order but incidentally the virus is spreading apace in India and there are no indications of its vanishing any soon.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi who represented Pakistan in the foreign ministers conclave in Moscow had back to back meetings during his less than 70-hour stay in Moscow and had four bilateral meetings including his Chinese and Russian counterparts on the brinks of the event during this period.
Indian Minister for External Affairs Jaishankar led his country’s delegation but he could no avail himself of the opportunity to have meeting or even having shake-hands with Qureshi, the sources indicated.
India was keen to make an announcement for the schedule of SCO heads of government meeting in its capital in New Delhi, but the consensus was lacking in this regard.
India has already extended the invitation for the meeting including Pakistan. It is unlikely that Pakistan will attend it at the chief executive echelon in the wake of tension prevailing in the ties of the two countries if personal presence is agreed by the member countries.
Pakistan may be represented by a minister in that case. Anyhow, if virtual participation is agreed, Prime Minister Imran Khan may take part in the deliberations, the sources said.
Qureshi will submit report on his discussions in a high-level meeting here early next week where the outcome of the conclave will come up for deliberations.
Qureshi had two-ways meeting with four foreign ministers of eight- country organization. The sources said Pakistan was among the SCO member countries, which were apprehensive of COVID-19 threats for participants of the SCO head of government meeting.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi became victim of COVID-19 in July this year, but he recovered in about 14 days.
The member countries of the SCO are Pakistan, Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, India and Tajikistan.
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