An Indian official is in Pakistan for the first time in nearly two years, in the shadow of last year’s military confrontation. Additional Secretary Alok Dimri, who is India’s national coordinator for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), is attending the SCO Council of National Coordinators meeting in Islamabad on September 28 to 30.

Dimri’s visit is the first by an Indian official to Pakistan since Operation Sindoor in May 2025, the brief but intense cross-border conflict that followed a terror attack in Pahalgam.

The coordinators’ meet is being chaired by Pakistan’s national coordinator Dr M. Faisal. Pakistan currently chairs the SCO Council of Heads of State for 2026-27 under the theme “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity”. Islamabad has announced it will host the SCO summit in August 2027.

The visit comes days after sharp exchanges between Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the UN General Assembly. India’s engagement comes at the SCO working level, with no sign of broader bilateral talks.