Refutation vs advocacy: Jaishankar made Pakistan proud by going to SCO summit

Pakistan might once have been a player, now it has become a commentator. That too, not an official, but just some talkative person sitting in the audience gallery. Instead of understanding and explaining the activities on the field, he/she just sits there crying. Bragging is his/her main pastime. Today, Pakistan has gone into such a state of mind that it is unable to understand the priorities of the world. he/she feels that it is his/her right to throw dust in the eyes and it is the responsibility of the world to continue deceiving him/her despite understanding everything. India broke the addiction of Pakistan. The same was proved in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit held in Islamabad. India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar went there. he/she changed his/her glasses after getting off the plane. Jaishankar’s picture in dark glasses went viral. Jaishankar’s glasses became a symbol of India’s self-confidence. A lot was expected to happen in this summit in Islamabad. There was a lot of discussion about this in the media too, but there was no specific conversation between India and Pakistan.

Foreign affairs expert Harsh V. Pant says that India gave a message to Jaishankar by sending him/her to Islamabad. The message was that India values ​​its relationship with the SCO. Last year, Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had come to India. he/she had come to Goa to participate in the SCO summit. This was the first time since 2011 that a Pakistani Foreign Minister had visited India. And now Jaishankar became the first Indian Foreign Minister to visit Pakistan in almost a decade. But these visits did not have any significant impact on the relations between India and Pakistan.

SCO was established in 2001. This includes Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Iran. SCO is a Eurasian grouping. Initially it was created to deal with regional security challenges. Like extremism and terrorism. Later its scope increased. This also included strengthening trade, investment and economic ties. The fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism has been given priority since the inception of the SCO. This is also written in Article 1 of its charter. India has focused on eliminating terrorism and terrorist groups on its north-west border. It has also worked to promote connectivity and socio-economic development across Eurasia.

In an article published on NDTV.com, Pant said that despite the goals of the SCO, some member countries have used terrorism as an instrument of foreign policy. This has increased tension against Eurasia and India. Changing geopolitical interests among member states have hindered the SCO’s effectiveness in combating state-sponsored terrorism.

India has consistently advocated greater cooperation to counter terrorism. India has also expressed concern over state sponsored terrorism. Especially about Pakistan based groups. But he/she has got limited success in this. Furthermore, differing views on achieving a peaceful, prosperous and stable Afghanistan underline the challenges facing this Eurasian organization as member states often prioritize their own interests over a collective approach to peace in the region. .

At the meeting in Islamabad, Jaishankar reminded the SCO of the need to adhere to its core mandate and fundamentals. Jaishankar said in the gathering, ‘It is clear that development and progress require peace and stability. And as stated in the Charter, this means remaining steadfast in combating the ‘three evils’ without compromising its objectives. The desire for trade, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges can never be fulfilled if activities like terrorism, extremism and separatism are taking place across the border.

Pant says that when Jaishankar targeted Pakistan, he/she did not spare China also. Jaishankar said cooperation should be based on mutual respect and sovereign equality, recognize territorial integrity and sovereignty and be built on genuine partnership, and not on a one-sided agenda. The SCO cannot progress if we selectively adopt global practices, especially trade and transit practices. In line with its declared policy, India refused to support China’s ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative. Thus it stood out in the SCO, where other members confirmed their support for China’s connectivity initiative.

Pant says that despite the challenges from Pakistan and China, Central Asia remains an important priority of India’s foreign policy. Jaishankar’s visit to Islamabad was proof of this. Since becoming a full member in 2017, India has prioritized combating terrorism. he/she has been advocating for stronger counter-terrorism measures and greater cooperation between member states to deal with this serious issue.

India’s vision also focuses on connectivity and socio-economic development across Eurasia. Which is in line with its broader foreign policy objectives. Initiatives such as the International North-South Transport Corridor and the Chabahar Port Project demonstrate New Delhi’s commitment to enhancing trade and connectivity within the region.

But there is no possibility of any change in relations with Pakistan any time soon. Just a few months ago, Jaishankar had announced that the ‘period of uninterrupted talks’ with Pakistan was over. he/she had suggested, ‘One has to suffer the consequences of one’s actions. As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, Article 370 is a thing of history. The issue now is what kind of relations we can consider with Pakistan. We are not passive; Whether the events are in a positive or negative direction, we will react.

Harsh V. Pant says that by sending Jaishankar to Islamabad, Modi government gave one message to Pakistan and something else to the other members of SCO. It was like killing two birds with one stone. While Pakistan had to be told that for India you were nothing but a sideshow, the other SCO members were told that India takes the grouping seriously. Overall, Jaishankar went to Islamabad and told Pakistan that India does not care at all about you and on the contrary, he/she explained to other member countries that India gives a lot of importance to everyone. Condemnation for Pakistan and support for other member countries. These were two clear messages during Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan.