ISLAMABAD -UNS: The Foreign Office on Wednesday dismissed speculation circulating in the media, confirming that no meeting is scheduled between Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting being held in Qingdao, China.
In an official statement, the Foreign Office clarified that Khawaja Asif will attend the two-day SCO meeting beginning today, but no bilateral engagement with the Indian side is on the agenda.
This clarification came after Turkish media reports hinted at the possibility of the first direct interaction between defence officials of the two South Asian neighbours since their recent military confrontation. The reports noted that both ministers were attending the SCO summit alongside other high-level delegations, including from China and Russia.
Meanwhile, Pakistani government sources confirmed that Asif has already reached China for the event. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is also present at the forum, where member states will discuss regional security, counterterrorism cooperation, and military ties.
