In a deft diplomatic move, India has invited both China and Pakistan to the foreign ministers’ meet of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to be held in Goa in May. According to diplomatic circles, India’s latest offerings to its most hostile neighbours in recent times may mark a new beginning in bilateral relationships, which can help to reduce existing tensions among the countries and may bring a new era of peace in Asia. As a matter of fact, after the adverse remarks made by Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which India had promptly termed as an ‘uncivilised outburst’ and the recent border conflict with China, many expected that New Delhi would not extend an invitation to two of its neighbours for the forthcoming meet, which would defeat the purpose of the international body. But invitations to these countries despite hostilities clearly proves that India is fully committed to its international commitments and ready to walk the extra mile for the sake of peace and prosperity. Many foreign relations experts are of the opinion that the invitation has not only saved SCO from a crisis, but also established India’s claim of being a peace-loving nation. In other words, it has created a win-win situation for India as the ball is now in the courts of China and Pakistan and it is now the turn of these countries to accept or deny India’s invitation. At present, it appears that these countries have no alternative other than attending the meet as skipping it will mean that they want to continue the hostility against India and are uninterested in ceasing it. It is highly unlikely that these countries will send such a message to the rest of the world at a time when peace has become more fragile than ever.
At the same time, isolation from SCO will mean losing a voice in this Eurasian political, economic, security and defence organisation, which is the largest organisation of its type, covering 60 per cent of areas in Eurasia, 40 per cent of the global population and 30 per cent of global GDP. Any country will be ill-advised to skip such a forum on bilateral grounds as the organisation provides a platform to discuss crucial issues. Pakistan may send someone else in place of its foreign minister considering the recent tensions ignited by Zardari’s unpalatable remarks. If the apprehension is true, it will be an error on Pakistan’s part as it may be termed just a face-saving approach by Pakistan. In no way can a member country of SCO dilute its importance by token representation in a meeting, which will prepare the agenda of the summit meeting of the member countries later this year. As that meeting is also scheduled to be held in India, abstention or proxy presence in foreign ministers’ meet will make it difficult for these countries to justify such a step at the summit meet as SCO is not the place to highlight bilateral issues rather it’s a platform for discussing important global issues.