Islamabad/New Delhi, May 4: Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari left for Goa, India, on Thursday to attend a multilateral meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) scheduled to take place in India on May 4 and 5.
Bhutto Zardari is who the first foreign minister from Pakistan to visit India since 2011. He will be heading the countryĆ¢ā¬ā¢s delegation to the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Beijing-based SCO.
According to Pakistan Foreign Office (FO), the invitation to Bhutto Zardari to attend the SCO-CFM was extended by IndiaĆ¢ā¬ā¢s Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar, as the current chair of the SCO.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokesperson for FO, said that Bilawal had departed for Goa from Karachi.
Bhutto also posted a video while leaving for Goa.
Ć¢ā¬ÅFM @BBhuttoZardari departs from #Karachi to participate in the #SCO Council of Foreign Ministers,Ć¢ā¬Ā the spokesperson tweeted with a picture of his departure.
Ć¢ā¬ÅOn my way to Goa, India. Will be leading the Pakistan delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization CFM. My decision to attend this meeting illustrates PakistanĆ¢ā¬ā¢s strong commitment to the charter of the SCO,Ć¢ā¬Ā Bhutto Zardari tweeted before his departure.
Ć¢ā¬ÅDuring my visit, which is focused exclusively on the SCO, I look forward to constructive discussions with my counterparts from friendly countries,Ć¢ā¬Ā he said.
Upon PakistanĆ¢ā¬ā¢s request, Bhutto Zardari was granted special permission by the Indian civil aviation authority to use the Indian airspace, Pakistan TV reported.
