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Pakistan, India Defense Ministers May Meet at SCO Summit in China
First potential Indo-Pak defense ministers’ meeting since the war? Khawaja Asif & Rajnath Singh to attend SCO summit in China—no formal talks confirmed yet.
ND
by News Desk
2025-06-25
Pakistan, India Defense Ministers May Meet at SCO Summit in China

Pakistan and India’s defense ministers may hold their first direct meeting since the last Indo-Pak conflict, according to Turkish media reports. The potential meeting is expected to take place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) defense ministers' meeting, which begins Wednesday in China.

The Pakistani delegation is being led by Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, who has already arrived in China. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is also attending the summit alongside a high-level delegation and is scheduled to meet with defense officials from China, Russia, and other SCO member states.

While Turkish media reports speculate a possible interaction between the two South Asian neighbors, official sources on both sides have denied any scheduled bilateral meeting between Khawaja Asif and Rajnath Singh.

The two-day summit is expected to focus on a range of pressing regional issues, including counter-terrorism cooperation, border security, and strengthening military ties among SCO member countries.

Despite heightened tensions and frozen diplomatic ties following past military confrontations, particularly after the Pulwama-Balakot episode and repeated ceasefire violations along the LoC, any interaction at this level could signal a possible thaw in relations, however slight.

Experts say the SCO platform provides an important multilateral space for both countries to engage diplomatically—even if informally—under the umbrella of regional cooperation.

This year’s summit comes at a time of shifting geopolitical dynamics, and with both China and Russia playing key roles in regional security frameworks, the participation of both Indian and Pakistani defense ministers carries added significance.

If such a meeting materializes, it would mark the first formal defense-level engagement between Pakistan and India since their most recent military standoff, raising hopes for a cautious but necessary revival of diplomatic and security dialogue in the region.

 
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