Bilawal Bhutto Becomes 1st Pak Foreign Minister To Visit India In 12 Years



Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Pakistan's foreign minister, arrived in Goa on Thursday to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conclave, making him the first senior leader from Pakistan to visit India in nearly 12 years. Bhutto-Zardari's visit to India for the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting occurred amid ongoing tension between the two nations on several issues, including Pakistan's use of cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

JP Singh, the joint secretary overseeing the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division at the Ministry of External Affairs, greeted the Pakistani foreign minister at the Goa airport. In 2011, Pakistan's then-foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, visited India and met with her Indian counterpart, SM Krishna.

Bhutto-Zardari stated, "I am very happy to reach Goa to lead the Pakistani delegation at the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting. I expect the SCO CFM meeting to be successful."

While there was media speculation about Bhutto-Zardari's two-day visit to Goa, both the Indian and Pakistani sides seemed to keep each other at a distance. According to insiders familiar with official engagements on the sidelines of the SCO conclave, there are no plans for a bilateral meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Bhutto-Zardari since there has been no request for one from the Pakistani side.

In a tweet with the caption "Salaam, from Goa India," Bhutto-Zardari stated, "Assalamualaikum, we have reached Goa for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet. I will first hold a meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister. Then, I will hold a meeting with the Uzbekistan Foreign Minister. I will attend the dinner hosted for all the foreign ministers…"

Before departing for Goa, the Pakistani foreign minister stated, "My decision to attend this meeting illustrates Pakistan's strong commitment to the charter of the SCO. During my visit, which is focused exclusively on the SCO, I look forward to constructive discussions with my counterparts from friendly countries."

Bhutto-Zardari's visit to India is the first such visit from Islamabad since Khar's trip to New Delhi in 2011. She presently serves as the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. In May 2014, former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited India to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony.