Islamabad: Pakistan has decided not to attend the meeting of chief justices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Meeting was scheduled from March 10 to 12 in New Delhi, India. India is currently president of SCO and other countries includes China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The country had invited Pakistan’s chief justice to the event. Afterward, Islamabad made a last-minute decision not to attend, citing unavoidable commitments. The Foreign Office stated that the decision was due to scheduling conflicts. But observers believe that the current state of relations between the two countries was the actual reason.
Additionally, India has invited Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to attend the meeting of SCO foreign ministers in May in Goa, but Pakistan has not yet decided whether to participate. Meanwhile, Pakistan and the United States will be holding two important talks. Pakistan will host the Energy Security Dialogue on March 15, where the two sides will discuss energy priorities and renewable energy. On March 16, the meeting of the Climate and Environment Working Group will take place, with talks on climate priorities, energy transition, and environmental issues such as water management, climate-smart agriculture, and solid waste management. The two sides previously held virtual rounds of talks in September 2021.
