Introduction
Pakistan hosted the 23rd Council of the Heads of Government (CHG) of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Islamabad from October 15-16, 2024. The prime minister of Pakistan, Mr. Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, presided over the prestigious summit, as he holds the current Chair of the Council of the Heads of Government of the SCO.
The SCO evolved from the Shanghai Five, which was initially created on April 26, 1996. However, the SCO took its current form on June 15, 2001. Basically, the SCO is an organization focused on regional cooperation and aims to enhance political and economic cooperation. It also caters to countering terrorism with a specialized organ called the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS).
Besides SCO’s member states, there are several dialogue partners, inlcuding Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cambodia, Egypt, Kuwait, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. The SCO’s importance can be understood by the very fact that the representatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Turkmenistan, and the United Nations attend its meetings from time to time as guests. Whereas, Mongolia and Afghanistan have observer status; however, since 2021 and the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan has been inactive.
The 2024 SCO Summit in Islamabad was of great strategic value, especially due to its specific timing. The summit took place when the United States was preparing for its Presidential Election 2024, intense tensions in the Middle East, and Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine. Likewise, the summit was closely monitored by the Western observers, as the hawkish minds perceived it to be a grouping against the West. However, the SCO is a neutral organization that aims to enhance regional cooperation and promote multilateralism. It is a fact that the SCO has provided countries like Pakistan with a unique opportunity to enhance their international trade and to strengthen their economies.
Who Attended the 2024 SCO Summit in Islamabad?
| Sr. No. | Designation/Title | Name |
| 1. | Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus | R.A. Golovchenko |
| 2. | Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of India | S. Jaishankar |
| 3. | Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade of the Islamic Republic of Iran | Seyed Mohammad Atabak |
| 4. | Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan | O.A. Bektenov |
| 5. | Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China | Li Qiang |
| 6. | Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic | A.U. Zhaparov |
| 7. | Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan | Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif |
| 8. | Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation | M.V. Mishustin |
| 9. | Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan | Kohir Rasulzoda |
| 10. | Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan | A.N. Aripov |
Why Was the 23rd SCO Summit 2024 Important for Pakistan?
It is worthy to note that the SCO members include 4 nuclear powers, namely Russia, China, India, and Pakistan. Whereas China and Pakistan maintain exceptional strategic relations, and on the other hand, Russia and India have historic friendly relations. After the Cold War, besides the Western politico-diplomatic pressure, Pakistan has greatly improved its bilateral relations with Russia, and now both countries are eagerly engaged in various joint ventures, including in the defense sector. It is important to note here that Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk paid an official two-day visit to Pakistan from September 18-19, 2024, and met Pakistan’s top civil as well as military leadership.
The presence of 10 heads of government in Pakistan indisputably dispels the illusion that the country is facing international isolation of any sort. It is true that Pakistan is going through a hard time when it is confronted with slow economic activity and terrorism. Nevertheless, the current government is proactively combating such challenges, and the SCO could be the bridge that could open new horizons for Pakistan.
Indian Foreign Minister Dr. Jaishankar in Pakistan
Using the SCO platform, the Pakistan-India bilateral relations could be improved. In this regard, India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar attended the summit, and one could only hope that he would have delivered a message of goodwill to his country’s top leadership and policymakers. It is a welcome development that during his departure, Mr. Jaishankar congratulated Pakistan for holding the summit and thanked him for the hospitality it rendered.
Key Takeaways
The SCO has unanimously condemned the unilateral politico-economic sanctions on nations and states, thus depriving them of their rights guaranteed by the United Nations and the UN Charter. The SCO made it clear that such sanctions not only affect the targeted nation but also affect the entire region, including the neighboring countries. The SCO criticized the West for such a deadly innovation and called it an instrument of coercion.
The SCO has put forward the concept of an Eurasian bloc for enhanced connectivity and mutual cooperation. Such a bloc could focus on economic development and mutual benefits. However, such a bloc must not be interpreted as an instrument of division among the nations of the world.
The SCO has attested its full support for the promotion of “sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of States, equality, mutual benefit, non-interference in internal affairs, non-use of force or threat of use of force are the basis for the sustainable development of international relations.” The SCO members fully endorsed against the protectionist policies that are contrary to the spirit of World Trade Organization (WTO).
Conclusions
The 23rd SCO Summit 2024 in Islamabad, Pakistan, is a key milestone that has attested to the letter and spirit of the SCO. It is very important to dissipate the wrong impressions associated with the SCO, and the organization would rather be seen as an instrument of regional cooperation and connectivity. History is a witness that the international organizations promote multilateralism and greatly hinder the monopoly over power and authority of some specific entities and actors. Undoubtedly, the world must embrace the SCO with an open mind devoid of prejudice and bias.
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Mr. Muhammad Ali Baig was serving as a research fellow (BPS-18) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), Pakistan. He is a doctoral candidate at the School of Politics and International Relations (SPIR) at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), Islamabad, Pakistan. Mr. Baig is a distinguished graduate of the National Defence University (NDU), Islamabad, Pakistan. He possesses an M.Phil. in international relations from NDU with distinction and a merit certificate from the president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He also holds an M.Sc. in international relations (distinction) from NDU. Moreover, he holds master’s degrees in political science, English (linguistics and literature), and history. He co-authored the book Realism and Exceptionalism in U.S. Foreign Policy: From Kissinger to Kerry (2020). He also writes for The Nation, Daily Times, Pakistan Observer, Pakistan Today, Global Village Space, and Hilal Magazine. He can be contacted at [email protected] and [email protected].