India has expressed its willingness to participate online in the upcoming meeting of trade ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), scheduled to be held in Islamabad on Thursday.

As preparations for the high-level meeting continue, senior officials from SCO member countries are currently engaged in discussions to finalize the agenda for the trade ministers’ meeting, sources said.

These deliberations are expected to continue into the following day to ensure a comprehensive agenda is set.

The SCO serves as a critical platform for cooperation among its member states, which include China, Russia, India, and Pakistan, among others.

On September 2, Pakistan had extended an invitation to India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal for an official visit to attend the SCO Trade Ministers’ Meeting. An invitation letter was delivered to the minister through diplomatic channels.

A week prior to that, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had extended invitations to all heads of governments of the SCO member states, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following the SCO protocol. However, Indian media claimed Modi will likely skip the Shanghai Corporation Summit (SCO) in Islamabad.