The Foreign Office has dismissed media speculation about a scheduled meeting between Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and India’s Rajnath Singh during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Qingdao, China. In an official statement, the FO confirmed that while Asif will participate in the two-day forum starting Wednesday, no bilateral engagement with his Indian counterpart is on the agenda.
Turkish news outlets had earlier suggested the possibility of the first high-level interaction between the two defence ministers since the recent military standoff between Pakistan and India. Reports indicated that Singh is expected to hold talks with counterparts from China, Russia, and other SCO nations. However, official sources from both sides have not confirmed any direct dialogue, keeping the focus on multilateral discussions.
Separately, Pakistan’s National Security Advisor (NSA) Lt Gen Asim Malik attended the SCO Security Council meeting in Beijing, where he reiterated Islamabad’s stance on regional stability. In his address, Malik emphasized Pakistan’s role as a “net stabilizer” in the region and its commitment to peaceful coexistence. He also held key meetings with SCO leaders to strengthen security cooperation.
The clarification comes months after a dangerous military confrontation