Pakistan invites Modi to attend SCO meeting in Islamabad

Pakistan has formally invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Islamabad on October 15-16, official sources confirmed on Monday.

This marks the first time in eight years that Pakistan has extended an invitation to an Indian leader. 

The last time Islamabad invited New Delhi was in 2016 for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit, which was ultimately boycotted by India.

According to sources, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has invited Modi and other SCO leaders to the regional gathering, which is expected to be attended by powerful countries, making it a crucial event for India to participate in. 

While diplomatic sources are skeptical about Modi's physical presence in Islamabad due to the current state of bilateral relations, he may join the summit virtually.

However, no official statement regarding the statement was issued Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The SCO summit provides an opportunity for regional leaders to come together, but given the divergences in Pakistan and India's positions on normalisation, a reset in ties seems unlikely. 

The SCO is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance founded in 2001, with eight full members, including India and Pakistan, and several observer and dialogue partner countries.