PM Shehbaz Sharif to Attend SCO Summit in Bishkek From Aug 31 to Sept 2

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reached the Kyrgyz Republic on an official visit to the country that is scheduled to last for three days. He will be in Bishkek on August 31st – September 2nd. This visit was invited by Kyrgyz president Sadyr Zhaparov.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is celebrating its 25th anniversary of its founding at the time of the Prime Minister’s visit. This time, the organisation’s member countries’ leaders are holding important meetings in Bishkek.

Shehbaz Sharif will represent Pakistan at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, says the Foreign Ministry. He will also be participating in the SCO Plus Summit. Pakistan will take over the chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for the next two years in 2026-27 on this occasion.

This responsibility is being considered an important diplomatic opportunity for Pakistan. In Islamabad, during Pakistan’s chairmanship, the SCO Heads of State meeting will take place in 2027. The Foreign Ministry has termed this meeting as an important facet of Pakistan’s SCO chairmanship.

Other senior government officials to accompany the Prime Minister will include Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan, Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan and Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar.

During the visit, Shahbaz Sharif will also have bilateral meetings with leaders of SCO member countries. The meetings will be expected to feature bilateral ties and regional and international affairs.

The Prime Minister will also be part of the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games on August 31. This event is also important in the context of cultural and people-to-people contacts with Kyrgyzstan.

The Prime Minister will have a detailed meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov on September 2, on the last day of the visit. Reconciliation between Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan will be discussed by the two leaders.

The talks will be centred around boosting cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, energy, regional connectivity, education and tourism. The two countries will also discuss the possibilities of further strengthening people-to-people contacts.

In Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan relations, the number of high-level contacts has risen in the last few years. Ishaq Dar was also present in the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held in Kyrgyzstan in July 2026. On this one, Pakistan said it was ready to take up the chairmanship of the organisation for 2026-27.

The role of the Chairman of the SCO can help Pakistan boost economic relations with central Asian countries on the analytical front. Regional connectivity and trade and energy projects, especially, are tied to Pakistan’s economic interest of cooperation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that the ties of history and religion and cultural connection and peace and development shared in the region form the basis of relationships between Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan. The visit is part of the work to make these relations more concrete into cooperation.