Indian Delegation Returns to Pakistan for SCO Talks

Islamabad (GNP): The first meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of National Coordinators under Pakistan’s 2026-27 chairmanship began in Islamabad on Monday. The three-day session runs until September 30 and is the opening step in Pakistan’s programme as chair of the bloc.

Pakistan’s National Coordinator for the SCO, Dr M. Faisal, is chairing the meeting, which brings together national coordinators from member states and representatives of the SCO Secretariat. An Indian delegation is also taking part, the first Indian delegation to visit Pakistan for an SCO meeting in nearly two years.

The coordinators are discussing a wide range of issues on cooperation and coordination within the organisation. The agenda covers the programme of activities under Pakistan’s chairmanship and preparations for upcoming SCO meetings and events.

The Foreign Office (FO) described the session as an important initial engagement and said it would feed into preparations for the high-level events planned during the chairmanship, including the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting that Pakistan will host in August 2027.

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Curtain Raiser: First Meeting of SCO Council of National Coordinators, Islamabad (28-30 September 2026)

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— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) September 27, 2026

Those preparations follow Pakistan’s takeover of the chair earlier this month. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif travelled to Bishkek for a three-day visit to attend the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting and the SCO Plus Summit, where Pakistan assumed the chairmanship for 2026-27.

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During that visit he proposed a plan covering information technology and artificial intelligence, energy development, poverty reduction, disaster management, health, culture and sports.

The chairmanship will run under the theme “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity.” According to the FO, Pakistan aims to promote greater connectivity, encourage innovation, deepen economic cooperation and strengthen people-to-people contacts among member states. The Foreign Office said the goal is to turn the shared vision of member states into practical initiatives that benefit them all.

This week’s meeting is the first forum where member states can coordinate on that agenda, and its outcome will shape the work leading up to the 2027 summit. The Foreign Office said, “Pakistan would work closely with all Member States and the SCO Secretariat.”