For the first time since last month’s brief but intense military standoff, the defence ministers of Pakistan and India are attending a high-level summit under the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Qingdao, China — raising the possibility of a bilateral meeting between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are both participating in the two-day SCO defence ministers’ conclave hosted by Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun in eastern China’s Shandong province. However, officials have so far downplayed the possibility of a scheduled one-on-one between the two.
According to diplomatic sources familiar with the development, no formal bilateral meeting is currently on the agenda. However, the presence of both ministers at the same platform — their first such appearance since the recent military flare-up referred to as Marka-e-Haq — has raised hopes of backchannel engagement or an informal interaction on the sidelines of the conference.
The SCO summit, which kicked off on Thursday, brings together defence ministers from key regional countries, including Russia, China, Iran, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus.
On the first day, the host Defence Minister Dong held individual meetings with his counterparts from these states, including Khawaja Asif.
During these bilateral discussions, China emphasised the need to uphold international fairness, global strategic stability, and to foster regional cooperation, particularly in the face of rising transnational threats.
Chinese officials have repeatedly called on SCO states to resist foreign interference and strengthen collective security mechanisms.
The defence ministers’ huddle comes two days after the meeting of the national security advisers (NSAs) from SCO member states, where Pakistan was represented by its NSA. In a statement issued by the Foreign Office, the NSA reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace and its role as a “net security stabiliser.”
The NSA also held separate meetings with Chinese officials and other SCO delegates to discuss bilateral and multilateral cooperation on security and counter-terrorism.
Speaking at the earlier meeting, Chinese Minister for Public Security Wang Xiaohong presented a five-point plan, urging SCO member states to embrace “true multilateralism,” strengthen regional counter-terrorism cooperation, tackle transnational crimes, and resist external interventions.
The current SCO meeting focuses on key security concerns facing the region — including terrorism, military cooperation, and geopolitical stability. Both Pakistan and India have historically used such multilateral platforms to engage indirectly, given the tense nature of their bilateral relationship.
While the possibility of a direct meeting between Asif and Singh remains uncertain, observers believe that the shared presence of both ministers marks a significant opportunity for at least informal communication. The last high-level defence contact between the two countries took place in 2018 during the SCO defence ministers’ forum in Russia.
The SCO, which comprises China, Russia, Pakistan, India, and several Central Asian states, has increasingly become a platform for promoting dialogue on regional security and economic integration.
Officials in Islamabad and New Delhi have maintained silence regarding any diplomatic overtures during the conference. However, analysts suggest that amid a backdrop of heightened tensions, even symbolic gestures of engagement could pave the way for future dialogue.
