While the news of Pakistani foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari visiting India in May for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) foreign ministers' meeting stormed the headlines last week, sources have said that a formal meeting between Bhutto-Zardari and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is unlikely to take place during the event scheduled in the western Indian state of Goa, NDTV reported.
It was only two days ago that Jaishankar indirectly slammed the neighbouring country while speaking at a joint press conference with his Panamanian counterpart Janaina Tewaney Mencomo in Panama City where he visited on Tuesday (25).
"It is for us very difficult to engage with a neighbour who practices cross-border terrorism against us. We've always said that they have to deliver on the commitment not to encourage, sponsor and carry out cross-border terrorism. We continue to hope that one day we would reach that stage," the Indian diplomat said.
Last week, five Indian soldiers were killed in a terror attack in Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir hours after Pakistan confirmed its foreign minister's participation at the SCO event in India on May 4 and 5.
While speculation was rife over the foreign ministers of the two hostile neighbours' meeting each other, both sides stressed on the fact that it would not be appropriate to focus on the participation of any particular country.
When Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of the Indian ministry of external affairs, was asked whether Pakistan had requested for a bilateral meeting between Bhutto-Zardari and Jaishankar, he avoided giving a direct reply.
"We look forward to a successful meeting. It will not be appropriate to focus on participation by any one particular country," he said.
Security personnel inspect the site in the aftermath of an attack as food stall chairs lie empty in Pahalgam, about 90 kilometres (55 miles) from Srinagar on April 23, 2025. Indian security forces in Kashmir carried out a major manhunt on April 23, a day after gunmen opened fire on tourists killing 26 people in the region's deadliest attack on civilians since 2000. Getty Images
Tourists visit Betaab Valley in Pahalgam, about 112 km south of Srinagar on June 26, 2025.Getty Images
Pilgrims gather at the Baltal Base Camp near Domel, en route to the sacred Amarnath cave in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India, on July 29, 2025. The annual Amarnath Yatra, which began on July 3, proceeds under heightened security following a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 25 tourists and a local pony handler. Security forces have been deployed in large numbers across the pilgrimage route, with checkpoints, surveillance, and restrictions in place to safeguard the thousands of devotees undertaking the arduous journey. The Amarnath Yatra is one of the most important Hindu pilgrimages, drawing worshippers from across India to the high-altitude Himalayan shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. Despite the threat of violence and challenging terrain, pilgrims continue their spiritual trek, determined to complete the sacred journey under the shadow of grief and resilience.Getty Images
