External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will embark on a two-day visit to Islamabad tomorrow to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit. The External Affairs Minister had earlier remarked that his Pakistan visit is for a multilateral event and he had ruled out bilateral talks. This will be the first high-level visit of an Indian Foreign Minister to the neighbouring nation in nine years.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation. It comprises nine member states – India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The SCO focuses on strengthening mutual trust among the Member States, promoting their effective cooperation in politics, trade, economy, research, technology, and culture.