Islamabad – Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Dismisses Rumors About Upcoming India Visit’s Implications on Bilateral Relations”
ISLAMABAD – Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto has clarified speculations surrounding his upcoming visit to India, asserting that it should not be construed as an indication of improving bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries.
Next month, Bilawal Bhutto will attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Goa, representing the first visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to India in nearly a decade.
The relationship between Pakistan and India has long been tense, with the two nuclear-armed neighbors having engaged in three wars.
In a conversation with Geo News on Thursday, Bhutto confirmed he had not requested a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He emphasized that the visit should be viewed within the context of the SCO, an eight-member political and security group that includes Russia and China.
Bhutto expressed Pakistan’s commitment to the SCO charter, emphasizing that their participation in the meeting demonstrates Pakistan’s continued dedication to the SCO process and the significance that Pakistan attributes to the region in its foreign policy priorities. He also underscored that Pakistan cannot allow India to further isolate it.
State-run radio sources have reported that no requests for a bilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India have been made on this occasion. Bhutto’s visit marks the first time a high-ranking Pakistani official has visited India since Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attended Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in 2014.
