ISLAMABAD: India’s National Coordinator for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Alok Dimri arrived in Pakistan this week to attend meetings under Islamabad’s presidency of the regional bloc, in a rare diplomatic engagement amid strained relations between the neighbors.

Dimri’s visit comes more than a year after the two neighbors engaged in an intense, four-day military conflict which saw them attack each other with artillery, fighter jets, missiles and drones.

India and Pakistan do not have ambassadors in each other’s capitals as they downgraded diplomatic relations over their Kashmir dispute in 2019, with their missions headed by a charge d’affaires since.

India’s SCO coordinator Dimri said on Wednesday his visit was part of the bloc’s activities, which will continue throughout Pakistan’s presidency and culminate with the group’s summit in Islamabad in 2027.

“For me, this is the first opportunity to come to Pakistani soil, and through the SCO, these programs will continue throughout the year and will culminate with the Islamabad Summit,” Dimri told reporters in Islamabad.

“So, this is an annual rotational ritual of the SCO in which we are participating, and our expectations are that there will be new progress in all the ongoing cooperation verticals of the SCO and that we will move forward.”

The SCO was founded in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Pakistan and India became full members in 2017, Iran joined in 2023 and Belarus became the bloc’s 10th member in 2024.

Dimri said the SCO provided a platform for member states to advance cooperation in areas such as regional connectivity, trade and transit.

“This is a journey in which the member states of the Eurasian and Asian landmass have come together on the SCO platform, and we have designed an agenda for our well-being, prosperity and welfare,” he said.

“Connectivity is very important in this, regional connectivity, trade and transit. These are some of the important issues that have been discussed, and progress is being made going forward.”

India and Pakistan have maintained limited official engagement in recent years, with diplomatic ties largely focused on multilateral forums such as the SCO rather than bilateral discussions.

Dimri said English could potentially be introduced as a working language for SCO discussions under Pakistan’s presidency, where deliberations have traditionally taken place in Russian and Chinese.

“So far, discussions among our member states in the SCO have taken place in Russian and Chinese. Now, perhaps, English may also be introduced under the Pakistani presidency,” he said, calling it an “important” occasion for the organization.

The Indian diplomat also highlighted cultural cooperation under the SCO framework, saying he hoped to visit more Pakistani cities during future meetings.

“My first visit has only been to Islamabad so far. The places I wanted to see were perhaps Lahore, Sialkot and Faisalabad,” he said, adding that meetings are held in different cities throughout the year and that Lahore had been declared an SCO Cultural City.

“There will be activities throughout the year, so we hope that through these activities, we will get the opportunity to see more of Pakistan and also meet more people.”

Pakistan took over the 2026-27 chairmanship at an SCO leaders’ summit in Bishkek earlier this month and will oversee the organization’s program until it hosts the next Council of Heads of State summit in Islamabad next year.

During their meeting on Sept. 28-30, the SCO national coordinators took stock of the progress on key initiatives and exchanged views on strengthening coordination among member states and ensuring effective implementation of Pakistan’s chairmanship priorities in line with its theme, “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity,” according to the Pakistani foreign ministry.

The SCO delegates visited the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), where they were introduced to Pakistan’s rich cultural heritage and diverse artistic traditions. The delegation also visited the Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium, where they were briefed on arrangements for the SCO Hockey Tournament to be held from November 20 till December 2.

The participating national coordinators called on Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who highlighted Islamabad’s priorities for its SCO chairmanship and commitment to working closely with all member states to advance the objectives of the organization.

“The meeting concluded with agreed outcomes. The participating National Coordinators reaffirmed their commitment to SCO goals and to advancing the objectives of the Organization through continued engagement and practical cooperation,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said.