Pakistan on Thursday announced it’s decision to skip the assembly of Chief Justices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) scheduled in New Delhi from March 10-12, reported The Express Tribune.

“As one of the active members of the SCO, Pakistan regularly participates in all SCO activities and constructively contributes to their outcomes,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch mentioned in a press release.

Pakistan is the one nation now to be skipping the SCO Chief Justice meet hosted by India. All different members, together with new member, Iran can be attending the assembly in particular person.

“Due to his unavoidable commitments on the scheduled meeting dates, the Honourable Chief Justice of Pakistan will not be able to participate in the SCO meeting of the Chief Justices of the Supreme Courts scheduled from 10-12 March, 2023. He has accordingly conveyed his regrets to his Indian counterpart, who is the current chair/host of the meeting,” the assertion added.

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India prolonged the invitation to the Pakistani chief justice, however Islamabad took the choice on the final minute concerning the nation’s prime adjudicator, reported The Express Tribune.

India is the present president of the SCO, which additionally contains China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

As president of the regional discussion board, India is about to host a sequence of occasions, together with the assembly of chief justices of the member states.

Though the Foreign Office assertion cited unavoidable commitments of the chief justice, observers consider that the present state of the connection between Pakistan and India performed a component in Islamabad’s choice, reported The Express Tribune.

India has additionally invited Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for the SCO international ministers assembly to be held in Goa in May this 12 months. Pakistan has but to resolve whether or not the international minister will attend.

“Regarding participation in the upcoming SCO Council of Foreign Ministers, as I have said earlier, the matter is under consideration and, as and when this decision is taken, we will share it with everyone,” she instructed reporters on the weekly information briefing.

India can even host the SCO summit assembly this 12 months. It stays to be seen whether or not Pakistan will ship its international minister in May or if the prime minister will be part of the SCO leaders later in India.

Relations between the 2 international locations have been precarious for a few years with regard to problems with cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, whilst Islamabad has been searching for the restoration of Article 370 for the previous Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir for any talks.