Ishaq Dar Arrives in Dushanbe to Lead Pakistan at SCO Heads of Government Meeting on Trade and Connectivity

DUSHANBE: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Monday to lead Pakistan's delegation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting, a two-day gathering of regional leaders expected to adopt a joint communiqué on trade, connectivity and economic cooperation.

Main News Report

The two-day meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG), being held on October 19-20, brings together the prime ministers of Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, with Iran represented by its vice-president and India by its external affairs minister, the Foreign Office said in a curtain-raiser statement ahead of the visit.

Dar is attending the meeting at the invitation of Tajikistan's Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda. Upon his arrival in Dushanbe on Monday, he was received by Tajikistan's Minister of Energy and Water Resources and Co-Chair of the Pakistan-Tajikistan Joint Commission, Daler Juma, Pakistan's Ambassador to Tajikistan, Irfan Ahmed, and Pakistan's National Coordinator for the SCO, Khalil Hashmi, along with senior Tajik government officials, according to the Foreign Office.

The Foreign Office described the Council of Heads of Government as the SCO's "second highest decision-making institution", providing guidance on economic and financial affairs, trade, connectivity, commerce, socio-economic cooperation and the organisation's budgetary matters. "The CHG will also adopt a Joint Communiqué, statements and important decisions," the statement said.

During the visit, Dar is also scheduled to call on Tajikistan's president and prime minister and hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from SCO member states on the sidelines of the meeting, the Foreign Office added.

Background Context

The SCO is a regional organisation whose areas of cooperation include economic development, trade, connectivity and security, while its Council of Heads of Government focuses primarily on economic and financial cooperation among member states, the Foreign Office said.

• Pakistan's chairmanship: The meeting comes as Pakistan advances its priorities under its chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for 2026-27, under the theme "Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation, and Shared Prosperity". Pakistan is scheduled to host the organisation's next summit in Islamabad in 2027.
• Bishkek summit: At the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting in Bishkek in September, member states adopted the Bishkek Declaration, outlining plans to deepen cooperation on security, trade and technology, with more than 20 additional documents signed or adopted covering transport, energy, drug trafficking, digital infrastructure and environmental cooperation.
• Lahore recognised: The Bishkek summit designated Lahore as the SCO's tourism and cultural capital for 2026-27.
• Previous meeting: Pakistan previously hosted the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Islamabad on October 15-16, 2024, which focused on cooperation, connectivity and trade, with member states issuing a joint communiqué.

Reactions and Statements

In September, Dar reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to advancing the bloc's objectives and called for greater practical cooperation among member states in areas including economic development, transport and connectivity, stressing the need to translate the organisation's shared objectives into practical outcomes.

The foreign minister's visit also comes amid continued diplomatic engagement between Pakistan and Iran over regional developments. On Sunday, Dar held a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, during which the two discussed the evolving regional situation and the ongoing Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Baghdad. According to the Foreign Office, Dar underscored the importance of continued dialogue and diplomacy in addressing regional challenges, and the two leaders agreed to maintain close contact. The two ministers had also met on the sidelines of the Bishkek summit in September.

During the Dushanbe meeting, Dar is expected to hold bilateral talks with counterparts from SCO member states, providing an opportunity to discuss regional developments and cooperation alongside the organisation's economic agenda.

Why This News Matters

The SCO has grown into one of the world's largest regional blocs, covering most of Eurasia's landmass and nearly half the global population, and its Heads of Government meeting sets the economic direction for a grouping Pakistan has positioned at the heart of its regional trade ambitions. With Pakistan holding the chairmanship of the Council of Heads of State and due to host the 2027 summit in Islamabad, Dar's presence in Dushanbe carries added weight: Islamabad wants the Dushanbe communiqué to feed directly into its own summit agenda of connectivity, innovation and shared prosperity.

For a Pakistani audience, the meeting also matters for connectivity: the Central Asian corridor is central to Pakistan's plans to link its ports to the landlocked region, and Tajikistan remains a key partner in energy and transit cooperation, including the long-running CASA-1000 power project.

Future Developments

The Council of Heads of Government is expected to conclude on Tuesday with the adoption of a joint communiqué, statements and a set of decisions on economic cooperation, which will determine the bloc's agenda for the coming year. Bilateral meetings Dar holds on the sidelines — including any engagement with counterparts from India, Iran and the Central Asian states — will be closely watched for signals on regional diplomacy.

Attention will then shift to Pakistan's preparations for the 2027 SCO summit in Islamabad, the first the country will host as chair of the Council of Heads of State.

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