The United States (US) has said that it respects every nation’s sovereign right to form alliances and associations of its own choosing.

Responding to a question about the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Islamabad, State Department’s spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the US encourages every country to ensure that its participation in multilateral fora upholds and respects international law and reaffirms the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of all nations.

Pakistan is hosting a two-day meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the SCO in the federal capital that will conclude this evening.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will preside over the high-level meeting, for which the South Asian nation has made stringent arrangements to ensure the event proceeds smoothly.

The prime ministers and high-ranking officials from the SCO member states, including Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and the First Vice President of Iran will attend today’s moot.

To another question about Pakistan’s demand to the UN Security Council to investigate theft and illicit sale of nuclear materials in India, the spokesperson said: “We are aware of Pakistan’s request to the UN Security Council.”

“We are committed to tracking, developing and implementing effective policy responses to proliferation threats and we will continue to work with our partners to shape the international security environment,” the spokesperson added.

Pakistan on October 11 called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to thoroughly investigate the “recurring” incidents of theft and illicit sale of nuclear and other radioactive materials in neighbouring India.

The move came after a recent Indian media report said that police had arrested three smugglers in the western Gopalganj district of Bihar with a rare Californium stone which is highly radioactive and fetches a high price in the international market.

“The Security Council should be deeply concerned at the recurring incidents of theft and illicit sale of nuclear and other radioactive materials in our Eastern neighbour,” permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN Ambassador Munir Akram told a committee established by the 15-member Council pursuant to its resolution 1540 that requires UN member states to take specific steps to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

 

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will lead a delegation to Pakistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit which will be held in Islamabad on October 15 and 16, a government spokesperson said on Friday. The visit will mark the first high-level visit from India to Pakistan in about five years.

“EAM Jaishankar will lead a delegation to Pakistan for the SCO summit which will be held in Islamabad on 15th and 16th October,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a press conference on Friday.

Pakistan had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the SCO Summit.

This will be first visit by Indian External Affairs Minister to Pakistan since 2015. Former external affairs minister late Sushma Swaraj visited Islamabad in 2015 to attend a security conference on Afghanistan.

SCO is a multilateral body that includes Russia and China as members, with Pakistan hosting this year’s summit.

Jaishankar’s Pakistan visit comes  a month after he called out the neighbouring country over cross-border terrorism at the United Nations General Assembly. “Many countries get left behind due to circumstances beyond their control, but some make conscious choices with disastrous consequences. A premier example is our neighbour, Pakistan,” the minister said on September 28.

“We heard some bizarre assertions from it at this very forum yesterday. So let me make India’s position perfectly clear. Pakistan’s cross border terrorism policy will never succeed, and it can have no expectation of impunity. On the contrary, actions will certainly have consequences.” Jaishankar said referring to Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif‘s address at the UNGA a day before.