Ishaq Dar in Dushanbe to lead Pakistan at SCO heads of government meeting
The two-day meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's second-highest body covers trade, connectivity and the bloc's budget, a year before Pakistan hosts the SCO summit.
At a glance
- Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Dushanbe on October 19 for the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting on October 19–20.
- The council is the SCO's second-highest decision-making body and oversees economic, trade, connectivity and budget matters.
- Dar will meet Tajikistan's president and prime minister and hold bilateral talks with other member states.
- Pakistan holds the SCO heads of state chairmanship for 2026–27 and will host the 2027 summit in Islamabad.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Monday, October 19, to lead Pakistan's delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting.
A busy two days
Dar was received at the airport by Tajikistan's Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Daler Juma, along with Pakistan's ambassador Irfan Ahmed and Pakistan's SCO national coordinator Khalil Hashmi. He is visiting at the invitation of Tajik Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda.
According to the Foreign Office, Dar will call on Tajikistan's president and prime minister and hold bilateral meetings with counterparts from other SCO countries on the sidelines of the October 19–20 meeting.
What the council does
The Council of Heads of Government is the SCO's second-highest decision-making body after the heads of state summit. It guides cooperation on trade, finance, economic development and connectivity, and approves the organisation's budget. Members are expected to adopt a joint communiqué and decisions on the bloc's priorities.
Prime ministers from Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are attending, along with Iran's vice president.
Pakistan's year at the helm
The meeting comes at an important moment for Pakistan. Islamabad took over the chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for 2026–27 at September's summit in Kyrgyzstan and will host the 2027 summit. Dar has been chairing regular meetings to review preparations.
Pakistan last hosted the Council of Heads of Government in Islamabad in October 2024.
Questions people are asking
What is the SCO Council of Heads of Government?
It is the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's second-highest decision-making body. Prime ministers of member states meet to guide economic, trade, financial and connectivity cooperation and approve the organisation's budget.
Who represents Pakistan at the 2026 SCO meeting in Dushanbe?
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar leads Pakistan's delegation at the October 19–20 meeting.
How we verified this story
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