External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar held informal talks on two occasions since Tuesday evening and in one of them ways to improve India-Pakistan cricket ties were discussed. Diplomatic sources gave this information. He said that this conversation took place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference, but there was no sign of any softening in the cold bilateral relations between the two countries. Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said that Jaishankar’s visit to Islamabad has melted the ice on relations. A separate meeting between Jaishankar and Dar took place at a dinner hosted by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at his residence for SCO delegates on Wednesday evening, sources said.
He told that Pakistan Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi also attended this meeting and in a brief conversation, improvement in cricket relations was discussed. Naqvi is also the chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). It is learned that the Pakistani side requested India’s participation in the ICC Champions Trophy cricket tournament to be hosted by Pakistan in February next year. Sources said Jaishankar and Dar were seen sitting next to each other and chatting at the official banquet after the SCO summit on Wednesday, which appears to be a positive sign. He refused to elaborate on this. A source said that arrangements were made to sit with Jaishankar and Dar.
Tarar was quoted in the media as saying, “Neither we nor he requested for a bilateral meeting…but I believe that his (Jaishankar) coming here is a step towards melting the ice in relations.” ‘A senior Pakistani official said that an overall positive atmosphere was created regarding Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan. Before the summit, Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif shook hands with Jaishankar and warmly welcomed him and the leaders of other SCO member countries at the summit venue ‘Jinnah Convention Centre’. Sharif and Jaishankar also shook hands and held brief talks during dinner yesterday.
Before leaving Islamabad, Jaishankar thanked Prime Minister Sharif and Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in a post on ‘X’. He also described the meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of SCO as ‘meaningful’. Jaishankar said, “I am leaving from Islamabad.” Thanks to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and the Government of Pakistan for the hospitality.” Two officials quoted External Affairs Minister Jaishankar’s post on ‘X’ and said that his visit was good and it created a good atmosphere. Jaishankar reached Islamabad on Tuesday to attend the SCO meeting. He is the first Indian foreign minister to visit Pakistan in nearly a decade.
Relations between the two neighboring countries remain tense over the Kashmir issue and Pakistan’s support to terrorism. Relations between India and Pakistan came under severe strain after Indian warplanes bombed a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot, Pakistan in February 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack. Pakistan’s then Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had come to India in May 2023 to attend the meeting of foreign ministers of SCO countries in Goa. This was the first visit of a Pakistani Foreign Minister to India in almost 12 years.
