FM Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Departs for First-Ever Visit to India:
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the Foreign Minister, departed for Goa, India, marking his inaugural visit to the neighboring nation.
He is leading Pakistan’s delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)’s Council of Foreign Ministers meeting, which is scheduled to take place on May 4-5 in Goa.
Prior to his departure from Karachi, Bilawal tweeted to reaffirm Pakistan’s steadfast dedication to the SCO’s charter.
In a short video message, FM said: “My visit [to India] illustrates how much Pakistan gives importance to SCO and how seriously it takes the SCO membership.”
Expressing his eagerness to interact with the member countries of the international forum, the Foreign Minister stated that he was anticipating bilateral engagements.
“On the microblogging site, Bilawal wrote, ‘While my visit is solely focused on the SCO, I am excited to have productive conversations with my counterparts from the amicable nations.'”
Foreign Minister Briefs Coalition Partners and JI Chief on First-Ever India Visit
A day before his first-ever visit to India, the Foreign Minister held consultations with coalition partners and the chief of Jamat-e-Islami (JI), informing them about his plans.
Bilawal reached out to Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Sardar Akhtar Mengal, the President of Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP), Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, the Convener of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Sirajul Haq, the chief of JI, and Tahir Bizenjo, a leader of National Party (NP).
He consulted with them regarding his two-day visit to Goa.
FO Confirms FM’s Attendance at SCO Meeting on Invitation of Indian External Affairs Minister
The Foreign Office issued a statement confirming that the Foreign Minister, at the invitation of the current chair, Dr. S Jaishankar, the Minister for External Affairs of India, will attend the SCO meeting.
“The FO spokesperson stated that our attendance at the meeting exemplifies Pakistan’s commitment to the SCO charter and processes, as well as the significance that Pakistan places on the region in its foreign policy priorities.”
Sources from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) stated that the Foreign Minister and his delegation will depart from Karachi via a chartered flight to Goa. Indian civil aviation authorities contacted the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCCA) and agreed on the flight route, according to informed sources.
The council will finalize the agenda and decisions for the 17th SCO Council of Heads of State Meeting scheduled for July 3-4, 2023, in New Delhi, in addition to discussing important regional and global issues and signing institutional documents.
The meeting will also involve the signing of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with five nations, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, and the UAE, to become Dialogue Partners of the SCO.
On the sidelines of the SCO, FM Bilawal will meet his counterparts from amicable nations.
The SCO member states, in addition to Pakistan, include China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and India.
SCO’s primary objectives include promoting mutual confidence and good, neighborly relations among member states, strengthening regional peace, security, and stability, and creating a framework for effective cooperation in the fields of politics, trade and economy, culture, science and technology, education, energy, transportation, tourism, and environmental protection.
Since joining in 2017, Pakistan has been actively and constructively contributing to all SCO activities to achieve its multi-sectoral objectives in a mutually beneficial manner.
