ISLAMABAD: Among the leaders coming to Samarkand for the 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit are Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi (SCO).
The meeting will be presided over by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who has invited the premier to visit Uzbekistan from September 15 (Thursday) through September 16 (Friday). The two leaders will not engage in any organised contact during their 48-hour stay at one location, Islamabad and New Delhi have made plain. They may, however, see each other from their recliners across the room.
The conversation and meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are the main focus of attention during the summit in the world's cities. There will be several different talks between the two leaders and other leaders. Shehbaz will meet with Xi while Modi converses with Putin in the background.
President Xi, who arrived in Kazakhstan one day before arriving in Samarkand, is reportedly introducing Belt and Road (B&R), his go-to trade and infrastructure initiative, according to well-placed diplomatic sources who spoke to The News on Wednesday.
The CPEC is a centrepiece of Xi's foreign-policy ambitions. It has become a focus of the US and its partners in the Group of Seven, who in June announced plans to gather $600 billion in financing so lower-income nations have an alternative to the Chinese cash.
It is known that landing in Astana before Samarkand will support Xi's vision of a world in which China can advance its interests without worrying about the danger of economic or military pressure from the US.
The Chinese leader will elaborate on that objective at the twice-decadental party congress taking place next month, when he is anticipated to win a third term as the head of the world's second-largest economy. He will essentially speak with Shehbaz on CPEC's potential.
A Chinese delegation is already in Islamabad to address different project-related topics. The sources reminded us that while Xi and Modi may meet, the military tension between the two nations would not assist in advancing political change.
Given that India is the greatest consumer of Russian oil, weapons systems, and other goods, a meeting between Modi and Putin would be significant from the Indian standpoint.
The sources reminded us that although it may be in the interests of both nations, India is eager to open commerce with Pakistan. However, at the moment, no progress can be made because of the evolving political situation in Pakistan.
In 2016, Pakistan was supposed to host the SAARC summit. However, India called off the event. The platform might be used for "bilateral" business transactions under the organization's banner. When the two meet "pull-aside" at the SAARC revival and leaders' "retreat," Modi may offer Shehbaz.
According to the sources, Modi will be eager to obtain an assurance that Pakistan will attend the SCO summit that New Delhi will hold the following year. The Samarkand conference will address a number of other critical topics, but the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February will be a key one.
The one-on-one encounter between Xi and Putin will be significant in light of this. The meeting will cover the topic of climate change. According to our sources, Pakistan would not be very interested in the official gatherings, but something significant may result from the "retreat."
It's interesting to note that since Pakistan reduced diplomatic relations with India after it united the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir in its union back in August 2019, Islamabad and New Delhi have been without each other's envoys. According to the sources, there are no plans for full-scale diplomatic relations to resume.
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