Ishaq Dar concludes Istanbul visit, heads to Bishkek for SCO summit

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has concluded a one-day visit to Istanbul after attending the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee established under the Mecca Joint Defense Treaty, the Foreign Office said.

Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir also attended the committee meeting.

During his stay in Istanbul, Dar held a bilateral meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

The deputy prime minister is now travelling from Istanbul to Bishkek along with Fidan and Turkish National Defence Minister Yaşar Güler.

In Bishkek, Dar will join Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Pakistani delegation for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Heads of State meeting and the SCO Plus Summit.

He will also accompany the prime minister during a series of engagements in the Kyrgyz capital.

These include bilateral talks between Prime Minister Shehbaz and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov on September 2, during which the two sides are expected to discuss ways to strengthen Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan relations and expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Prime Minister Shehbaz’s official visit to the Kyrgyz Republic runs from August 31 to September 2.

During the visit, Pakistan will assume the chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for 2026-27.