Given the current friction in ties, such a visit looks unlikely at this juncture.
Key Points
- On December 25, 2015, in a surprise visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Lahore on his way back from Afghanistan to meet then Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif and attend a wedding in his family. It has been his only visit to Pakistan during his tenure as prime minister.
- The last visit by an Indian minister to Pakistan was that of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who went to Islamabad in October 2024 to attend an SCO conclave.
- On Modi attending the next year's SCO Summit in Islamabad, the ministry of external affairs said last month that 'a decision will be taken by the appropriate authority at the appropriate time and our appropriate level of participation will be decided accordingly'.
An Indian delegation led by a senior diplomat landed in Islamabad on Monday to attend the three-day meeting of the national coordinators of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Pakistan took over as chair of the SCO from Kyrgyzstan on September 1, and will host the leaders' summit of the multilateral organisation in August next year.
According to Pakistan's foreign office, the national coordinators will discuss the programme of activities under Pakistan's chairmanship, and preparations for upcoming SCO meetings and events.
Pakistan's chairmanship will focus on promoting greater connectivity, fostering innovation, enhancing economic cooperation, and strengthening people-to-people contacts, it said.
India is expected to participate in the SCO meetings in the run-up to the summit next year. Over the years, Indian officials have attended SCO-related meetings hosted by Pakistan.
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the next year's SCO Summit in Islamabad, the ministry of external affairs said last month that 'a decision will be taken by the appropriate authority at the appropriate time and our appropriate level of participation will be decided accordingly'.
Given the current friction in ties, such a visit looks unlikely at this juncture.
Modi attended the last two SCO summits --m in Tianjin, China, in August last year, and Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan in the same month of 2026. He had skipped the 2024 summit, while India chaired the 2023 edition virtually.
New Delhi is planning to host the India-Central Asia Summit in 2027.
During Modi's visit to Uzbekistan on August 31, he conveyed to Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev that India would host the India-Central Asia Summit next year.
According to a joint statement issued after the Modi-Mirziyoyev meeting, the two leaders called for strengthening engagement within the Central Asia-India format at all various levels. India and Tajikistan will compete for a United Nations Security Council non-permanent seat for the 2028-2029 cycle.
The inaugural India-Central Asia Summit was held virtually on January 27, 2022, after New Delhi had to cancel plans to host the leaders of the five Central Asian Republics as guests at the Republic Day parade that year because of apprehensions of another COVID-19 spike.
In a path-breaking visit, Modi travelled to all the five Central Asian Republics during an eight-day trip in July 2015.
The last visit by an Indian minister to Pakistan was that of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who went to Islamabad in October 2024 to attend an SCO conclave. His was the first visit by an Indian foreign minister after Sushma Swaraj's to attend the Heart of Asia conference on December 8-9, 2015.
On December 25, 2015, in a surprise visit, Modi landed in Lahore on his way back from Afghanistan to meet then Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif and attend a wedding in his family. It has been his only visit to Pakistan during his tenure as prime minister.
A week later, the terror attack on the Pathankot airbase took place on January 2, 2016. The Uri terror attack in September further strained the ties between the two neighbours.
