Pakistan is set to host its first-ever Council of Heads of Government meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Islamabad, with India’s foreign minister attending. This marks the first visit by a senior Indian official to the country in nearly a decade.

This is also the first time Pakistan is hosting the SCO summit, and the first time in almost ten years that an Indian foreign minister is visiting Pakistan.

Last year, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attended the SCO Foreign Ministers’ Summit in Goa in 2023.

Several high-ranking officials and heads of government from member states and observers will gather in Islamabad for the upcoming SCO meeting, which is expected to serve as a significant platform for discussions on regional cooperation, trade, and security.

Additionally, SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming and Ruslan Mirzaif, Executive Director of the SCO RATS Committee, will also attend the conference. Leaders from Mongolia and Turkmenistan, including Prime Minister Oyun Erdene Luvsannamsrai and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet Rashid Meredov, respectively, will represent their countries.

Pakistan's business sector will also be represented, with Atif Ikram Shaikh, Chairman of the SCO Business Council Board, and Marat Belybayev, Chairman of the SCO Interbank Union, participating in discussions on economic collaboration.

The meeting is expected to address pressing regional challenges and promote stronger multilateral cooperation among SCO members