Dar and Dimri Share Handshake as SCO Meeting Ends in Islamabad

Islamabad (GNP): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and India’s Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) National Coordinator Alok Dimri shared a public handshake in Islamabad, softening the tone between the two neighbours during a multilateral meeting.

Dimri, an Additional Secretary at India’s Ministry of External Affairs, led the Indian delegation at the first meeting of the SCO Council of National Coordinators under Pakistan’s 2026-27 chairmanship. The three-day meeting concluded in Islamabad on Wednesday.

The handshake came when the participating national coordinators called on Dar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Footage released by Pakistan’s Foreign Office showed Dimri greeting Dar before standing beside him and Pakistan’s SCO National Coordinator Muhammad Faisal.

The scene stood out because relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours remain strained. India and Pakistan recently exchanged sharply worded statements at the United Nations General Assembly, which showed how deep their differences still run.

Even so, the Islamabad meeting took place inside the SCO’s multilateral framework, where both countries have kept taking part despite their bilateral disputes. India has said that progress on bilateral engagement with Pakistan needs an appropriate environment.

Dimri struck a warm note in an interview during his visit, his first to Pakistan. He also said he would like to visit Lahore, Faisalabad and Sialkot.

He then turned to the SCO’s wider agenda, naming regional connectivity, trade and transit as areas that could help regional prosperity. Dimri also pointed to Lahore’s designation as an SCO cultural city and to opportunities for India to take part in cultural activities during Pakistan’s chairmanship.

The coordinators’ meeting itself focused on the SCO’s programme of activities under Pakistan’s chairmanship, preparations for upcoming events, and coordination among member states. Pakistan’s Foreign Office said it was part of the groundwork for high-level engagements, including the 2027 Council of Heads of State summit in Islamabad.

Pakistan took over the SCO Council of Heads of State chairmanship for 2026-27 after the organisation’s summit in Bishkek. Islamabad has chosen “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity” as its theme, with priorities that include connectivity, innovation, economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

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The next summit is due in Islamabad in August 2027, and preparations are already under way. They cover venue arrangements, accommodation, security, transport and logistics.

That summit will put India’s level of representation in focus. Pakistan has indicated that invitations will go to the heads of government of all SCO member states, while India has not yet said who will represent it.

For now, the visit of a senior Indian diplomat and his cordial exchange with Pakistan’s foreign minister show that the two countries still engage through the SCO. Whether that multilateral contact affects their wider bilateral relationship remains to be seen.

Dimri said, “Happy to visit Islamabad.”