YEARS
Islamabad and New Delhi have a long history of strained relations, primarily due to the Kashmir issue as well as cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. India has maintained that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan, while stressing that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment free of terror and hostility.
Pakistan has officially extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting scheduled to be held in Islamabad in October. This comes amid strained relations between India and Pakistan, particularly over the Kashmir issue as well as cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. Islamabad and New Delhi have a long history of strained relations, mainly due to the Kashmir issue as well as cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. India has been saying that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan, while stressing that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment free from terror and hostility.
Will PM Modi visit Pakistan?
Given the nature of the current relationship, it is uncertain whether PM Modi will accept Pakistan’s invitation to attend the SCO summit in Islamabad. The Indian Prime Minister did not attend the SCO summit in Kazakhstan on July 3-4 before leaving for Russia. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar led the Indian delegation at the meeting, which included Pakistan PM Shahbaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
On 25 December 2015, while returning from Russia and Afghanistan, PM Modi surprised everyone by suddenly reaching Lahore on Nawaz Sharif’s birthday. The PM’s special IAF Boeing 737 aircraft landed smoothly at 4.20 pm local time (4.50 pm Indian time) and Modi was welcomed on the red carpet. After this, he took a helicopter to go to Sharif’s Raiwind palatial residence on the outskirts of Lahore. The opposition always taunts PM Modi by reminding him of the biryani served by Pakistan in 2015.
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