India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received an invitation from Pakistan to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Islamabad in October. However, given the current state of India-Pakistan relations, it remains uncertain whether Modi will accept the invitation.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India has not provided an update on the invitation yet. During a recent weekly press conference, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that Pakistan had extended the invitation but added, "We have no update on this."

Pakistan, as the current rotational chairman of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the SCO, is hosting the two-day summit on October 15-16. The Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, stated that invitations have been sent to all heads of state of the SCO member countries, including India. The SCO is a significant economic and security bloc comprising India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

India hosted the SCO summit last year virtually, which saw participation from Pakistan's then-Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif via video link. Earlier this year, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto visited India for the SCO Foreign Ministers' meeting held in Goa.

However, the possibility of PM Modi attending the summit in Pakistan seems slim, given the tense relations between the two countries. The relationship has been strained due to ongoing issues such as cross-border terrorism and the Kashmir dispute. Since the abrogation of Article 370 by India in August 2019, which removed the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan have further deteriorated. India has consistently emphasized that it desires normal neighborly relations with Pakistan but insists that Islamabad must create an environment free from terrorism and hostility.

While Prime Minister Modi made a surprise visit to Pakistan in 2015 in a bid to improve relations, continued terrorism sponsored by Pakistan has left little room for optimism. As a result, it seems unlikely that Modi will accept the latest invitation from Pakistan.