No structured Indo-Pak meet on the sidelines of SCO Summit in Samarkand

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan's new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will both be in the same room at the Shanghai cooperation organization or SCO summit but any structured bilateral between the sidelines is unlikely. India and Pakistan both became members of the grouping in 2017 and since then leaders of the 2 countries have been present at various meetings, including at Defence, foreign and NSA levels.

The grouping's meeting in the past has seen both Indian, and Pakistani leadership present under the same roof, but given the state of the relationship, no talks have happened. In 2019, the last time the in-person summit of SCO grouping happened in Kyrgyzstan, both Indian PM Modi and Pakistan's then Prime Minister Imran Khan were present together.

Earlier this year, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Pakistani Foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto were present together at the SCO foreign ministers' meet in Tashkent, but no meeting happened. That time speaking to WION, Bhutto ruled out any meeting between the 2 leaders.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Earlierthis year, as part of diplomatic protocols, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written to the new Pakistani PM pointing out that New Delhi would like to have "normal neighbourly relations" calling for "constructive engagement" but also raising the issue of terror with Islamabad, calling for an "environment free of terror and violence". Last month, the Indian Prime Minister extended his condolences on the devastating floods in the country, responding to which the Pakistani PM thanked him and expressed optimism that his country will overcome the adverse impact of the natural calamity.

But on any chances of humanitarian assistance, MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi said, "Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has shared his sadness at the devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan. You've seen his comments. He has extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the injured and all those affected by the natural calamity".

Under the present Modi government, attempts have been made to reach out to Islamabad since 2014. India invited the then Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif, the elder brother of the current Pakistani PM to the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi. Both PM Modi and Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif met on the sidelines of theSCO summit in Russia in July of 2015, and in the same year, both met on the sidelines of the Paris climate change summit in December 2015, a picture that showed both sitting together in a very informal close manner.

Later that month, PM Modi made a surprise visit to Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore. That was the first visit by any Indian Prime Minister to Pakistan in more than 10 years, raising hopes for peace between New Delhi and Islamabad. The then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also took the initiative to propose a Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue in December 2015.

But all the outreach was followed by major terror attacks like the Pathankot Airbase attack on 2 January 2016, and the attack on the Indian army Camp in Uri in August 2016. 2018, attempts were again made, with a proposed meeting of Indian, and Pakistani foreign ministers on the sidelines of UNGA but it was cancelled at the last moment after terrorist entities brutally killed three police personnel in Jammu and Kashmir.

The big blow to ties came in February 2019 after the Pulwama terror attack in which India's 40 security personnel were martyred. This terrorist act was perpetrated by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a Pakistan-based terrorist organization proscribed by the United Nations which is led by UN-designated and internationally proscribed terrorist Masood Azhar. Later that year, Islamabad suspended People to people ties, and trade ties and downgraded its relationship with India after New Delhi removed the special status for the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

A bilateral between Indian and Pakistani leaders is a farfetched thing now, a pull aside will be a miracle. While for India, the issue of Pakistan's support of terror has been a major concern, for Pakistani PM Shahbaz Sharif, any meeting with Indian PM Modi means facing the wrath of Imran Khan ahead of elections. For the foreseeable future, India-Pakistan ties remain in a deep freeze, a freeze that is unlikely to go very soon.