Indian officials reached Pakistan after Operation Sindoor
New Delhi. An important diplomatic development has come to light amid the ongoing tension in India-Pakistan relations. India met senior official of the Ministry of External Affairs and National Coordinator of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Alok A. Dimri has been sent to Pakistan. Dimri is leading the Indian delegation at the SCO National Coordinators Meeting held from September 28 to 30 in Islamabad. This is considered to be the first major example of a senior Indian official visiting Pakistan after Operation Sindoor.
Alok Dimri is Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs and holds the responsibility as SCO National Coordinator of India. The official organizational list of the Ministry of External Affairs also lists him as “AS [SCO & National Coordinator]”. For this reason, his participation in the Islamabad meeting is part of India’s formal multilateral obligations related to SCO.
Pakistan is currently holding the presidency of SCO for 2026-27. The main objective of the National Coordinators’ meeting held in Islamabad is to prepare and finalize the calendar of upcoming events to be held under the chairmanship of Pakistan. This process will continue till the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of SCO. Pakistan will send invitations to the heads of state and government of all member countries for the summit to be held next year.
Both India and Pakistan are full members of SCO since 2017. Bilateral relations between the two countries have long been strained, but both countries regularly engage in multilateral forums such as the SCO. India has so far kept its SCO participation separate from bilateral disputes with Pakistan and has continued active involvement in issues related to regional security, counter-terrorism cooperation, connectivity and multilateral interactions.
Dimri’s visit comes at a time when political and security relations between India and Pakistan are not normal. Military tensions between the two countries reached their peak during Operation Sindoor in May 2025. Despite this, issues related to cross-border terrorism and security have remained at the center of relations between the two countries. Even in September 2026, tension had come to light between India and Pakistan over a naval incident, after which India summoned a senior diplomat of Pakistan and lodged a protest.
Despite this, India has decided to participate in the meeting hosted by Pakistan under SCO. This move is in line with India’s stance in which it does not shy away from sitting with Pakistan in multilateral fora, but treats bilateral political talks as a separate issue.
India’s official position has long been that normal bilateral relations with Pakistan and a conducive environment free from terrorism and hostility are essential for meaningful dialogue. India has repeatedly described cross-border terrorism as one of the biggest obstacles to bilateral relations. Along with this, India has also stressed on the need for effective action against terrorism, extremism and separatism on the SCO platform.
The meeting being held in Islamabad is not being seen as the beginning of formal bilateral talks between the two countries. According to the currently available information, Alok Dimri’s visit is specifically to attend the National Coordinator Meeting of SCO. No separate bilateral talks have been officially announced between India and Pakistan.
India’s participation in SCO has its own importance. The organization includes countries like China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus. The agenda of the organization focuses on issues like regional security, anti-terrorism cooperation, economic connectivity and political dialogue. India has also been using this platform to strengthen its relations with countries in Central Asia and Eurasia.
The upcoming SCO summit is also an important part of this meeting. As part of the preparations to be held under the chairmanship of Pakistan, this meeting of national coordinators is finalizing the further programs. Pakistan is preparing to send invitations to the leaders of all the member countries including India for the SCO Heads of State Conference to be held next year. However, no formal announcement has been made yet from the Indian side regarding the possible participation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Contact between India and Pakistan through SCO is not a new thing. In the past years too, officials from both the countries have been attending SCO-related events at each other’s places. Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar had also gone to participate in the SCO Heads of Government Council meeting held in Pakistan in 2024. The specialty of the current yatra is that it took place after Operation Sindoor and the tension that arose thereafter.
For India, the SCO forum has also been an important medium to raise the issue of terrorism. India has consistently maintained that terrorism cannot be accepted in any form and countries supporting terrorism should be held accountable. Even in September 2026, India has continued to take a tough stance against Pakistan on terrorism in international forums.
Therefore, it would be premature to consider Alok Dimri’s visit to Islamabad as a sign of normalization of relations between India and Pakistan. The visit is taking place primarily under the multilateral framework of the SCO and India has not announced any change in its old stance on bilateral talks.
At present, India’s message is clearly visible on two levels. On the one hand, he expresses his views on terrorism and bilateral relations.