India will invite Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for the council of heads of government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), bilateral tensions notwithstanding.

The invite will go to Khan “as per established practice and procedure within the SCO”, external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Thursday. Invitations will go to all eight members of the SCO as well as four observer states and other international dialogue partners.

The date or venue is yet to be finalised but tentatively it is expected to be held later in the year.

If Khan accepts the invitation, it will be difficult for Prime Minister Narendra Modi — as the host — to avoid meeting him. Given the state of the bilateral relationship, the two have not met since Khan became Premier in the summer of 2018.