The two day Shanghai Co-operation Organisation summit is taking place in Uzbekistan’s capital. The 22nd annual Meeting of the Council of Heads of State (CHS), the highest forum of the Organistion will be the highlight of the event. The CHS considers and defines strategy, prospects and priorities of the Organisation. At the forthcoming CHS, the SCO leaders will deliberate on important global and regional issues, including terrorism, climate change, food security, energy security, and sustainable supply chains. They would also approve agreements that would chart the future direction of cooperation among SCO member states
Both PM Shehbaz Sharif and PM Modi will attend the summit. While the two are not expected to engage in a one-on-one session on the sidelines of the summit a brief cursory meeting is not being ruled out. The summit is the first in-person meeting since 2019 and takes place in the shadow of the Russia-Ukraine war that is having a negative impact on world economy. Meanwhile the return of the Taliban government in Afghanistan, which has observer status at the eight-member SCO, poses dangers to neighbouring countries. Pakistan continues to face terrorist threats from the Afghan soil while fugitives wanted by Pakistan continue to take shelter in Afghanistan, the latest being Masood Azhar, the founder of Jaish-e-Mohammed. The Pakistan delegation needs to take up the issue of terrorism emanating from the neighbouring country in the sideline meetings of the summit.
The forum provides venues of cooperation to member countries with fractured relations. Pakistan and India have taken part in anti-terrorism exercises held under the ambit of the SCO regional anti-terrorism structure (RATS). This time Pakistan has confirmed that it will attend the joint anti-terror exercises in India next month. The cooperation must lead to end of support to non state actors involved in attacks on civilians and security personnel.
Pakistan’s strategic location could have turned the country into a hub of trade with neigbouring countries. Successive governments however failed to leverage this to the country’s advantage. While other developing nations have espoused liberal trade regimes since the 1980s, Pakistan continues to rely on import substitution policies. Pakistan can benefit a lot from SCO if it concentrates on enhancement of trade with its member states.
