India has sent a senior Ministry of External Affairs official to Islamabad for a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation coordinators’ meeting, marking the first such visit in nearly 18 months.

Additional Secretary Alok Dimri is attending the SCO’s council of national coordinators meeting, where member states are preparing the agenda for the next heads-of-state summit. The visit comes amid strained bilateral ties between New Delhi and Islamabad.

India’s participation reflects its commitment to multilateral engagement even as direct diplomatic relations with Pakistan remain frozen. New Delhi has consistently maintained that it attends SCO meetings as part of its obligations as a member state.

The coordinators are expected to discuss counter-terrorism cooperation, regional connectivity and economic collaboration. India has repeatedly pushed for stronger language against cross-border terrorism in SCO documents.

Officials said the meeting will also set the timeline for the summit and review progress on decisions taken by SCO heads of state last year. India has used past SCO platforms to raise the issue of terrorism emanating from across the border.