Ishaq Dar Completes One-Day Istanbul Visit, Departs for Bishkek

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has completed his one-day visit to Istanbul and departed for Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where he will join Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Pakistani delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.

During his visit to Istanbul, Ishaq Dar attended the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee established under the Saudi-Pakistan Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement. He participated in the meeting alongside Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.

The deputy prime minister also held a bilateral meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during his stay in Istanbul. Discussions focused on bilateral relations and matters of mutual interest.

Ishaq Dar has now departed for Bishkek along with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Defence Minister Yaşar Güler. In Bishkek, he will participate alongside Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Pakistani delegation in the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting and the SCO Plus Summit.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Kyrgyzstan is expected to include a bilateral meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov on September 2. The meeting is expected to focus on Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan relations and ways to expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Pakistan is also set to assume the chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for the 2026-27 term, further highlighting Islamabad’s engagement with the regional organization.

The Pakistani delegation’s participation in the SCO meetings is expected to provide an opportunity to discuss regional developments, economic cooperation, connectivity and other issues of mutual interest with participating countries.