KARACHI: Deputy Prime Minister and Fore­ign Minister Ishaq Dar will travel to Tianjin, China, on Monday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Cou­ncil of Foreign Ministers’ meeting, Dawn.com reported.

The SCO is a 10-nation Eurasian security and political grouping whose members include China, Russia, Pakistan, India, and Iran. Their foreign ministers’ meeting is held as a precursor to the annual summit of its leaders set for the autumn.

The report quoted Radio Pakistan as stating that the top diplomats from Bela­rus, India, Iran, Kazak­hstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajik­istan and Uzbekistan will also attend the event. “The upcoming Council of Heads of State will take place on August 31 and September 1 in Tianjin, China,” the state media outlet reported.

“At the invitation of the Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan Ishaq Dar will lead the Pakistan delegation to the meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers,” the Foreign Office (FO) said.

Interior minister in Tehran for talks on border management

The CFM is the third-highest forum in the SCO format. It focuses on the issues of international relations, as well as the foreign and security policies of the organisation, the FO said.

The press release added that the forum approves the documents, including declarations and statements that are to be presented for the consideration of the Council of Heads of State (CHS), as well as the decisions to be adopted by the CHS.

“The upcoming CHS will take place from Aug­ust 31 to September 1 in Tianjin, China,” the FO said.

The FO also reported that Dar spoke with Uzbe­kistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov on Sunday and discussed progress on the Framework Agreement on Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Project. “Both leaders also agreed to meet again at the sidelines of the upcoming SCO Council of Foreign Mini­sters meeting in Tianjin, China,” the FO added.

Trilateral conference

Separately, Interior Min­ister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on an official visit to participate in a high-level trilateral conference, according to a PTV World report.

The conference, initiated at Pakistan’s request, brings together the interior ministers of Pakistan, Iran, and Iraq to address key challenges surrounding the movement of pilgrims and other mutual concerns.

The dialogue, set to take place on Monday, aims to develop coordinated strategies for improving border security and facilitating safer, smoother pilgrimages across the region.

As part of his visit, the interior minister is also expected to hold a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to discuss bilateral and regional matters of mutual interest.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2025