In a veiled reference to India, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday urged member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to work toward establishing regional peace by guaranteeing fundamental rights and freedoms to all people, including those under occupation.
Addressing via video-link the SCO Council of Heads of State Meeting hosted by India, he emphasized that regional peace and stability were prerequisites for economic development. Affirming Pakistan’s commitment to the principles and purposes of the SCO Charter, he said the ‘Shanghai Spirit’ was a core value of the SCO, providing the basis for “win-win” cooperation. He also outlined Pakistan’s vision for the SCO as a regional organization focused on the promotion of peace, prosperity and shared development.
Stressing that regional connectivity was essential for peace and prosperity, the prime minister noted that Pakistan’s geographical location made it a natural bridge connecting Europe and Central Asia with China and South Asia. In this regard, he said, Pakistan would host the SCO Conference on Transport Connectivity for Regional Prosperity in the last quarter of 2023.
He urged the participants to combat all forms of racism, ultra-nationalism and xenophobic ideologies, especially Islamophobia. He also advised the SCO leaders to ensure respect for the universally recognized principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and right to self-determination, as well as the need to immediately and amicably resolve the long-standing disputes in the region—a likely reference to Jammu and Kashmir.
Emphasizing the importance of countering terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state-sponsored terrorism, he highlighted Pakistan’s contributions toward regional and global counter-terrorism efforts, achieved through immense sacrifices. “Any temptation to use it [terrorism] as a cudgel for diplomatic point-scoring must be eschewed. Instead of cherry-picking for narrow political gains, terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state terrorism, must be condemned in clear and unambiguous terms,” he said, stressing there could be no justification for the killing of innocent people, regardless of cause or pretext. “Similarly, religious minorities should never be demonized in the pursuit of domestic political agendas,” he said.
On Afghanistan, P.M. Sharif said stability in the war-torn state was critical to achieve regional prosperity and lamented that the global community was currently at a ‘standstill’ on the matter. He said unmet expectations had resulted in the withholding of critical support needed by Afghanistan to avert a humanitarian crisis, prevent an economic meltdown and combat terrorism. He also urged Kabul to take concrete measures to ensure its soil were not used for terrorism by any entity.
Describing poverty alleviation a shared priority for SCO members, Sharif the SCO region, Sharif welcomed the establishment of the SCO Special Working Group on Poverty Alleviation, proposed by Pakistan.
On climate change, the prime minister said it was a global challenge that required a global response. “It’s time to act—and we must act now,” he said. “We must also ensure that developed countries deliver on their commitments, to provide enhanced and predictable support to developing countries in mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change,” he added.
Earlier, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also urged the SCO member states to unite against terrorism and not hesitate to condemn countries that support terror. While he did not specifically name Pakistan, this has widely been perceived as a reference to Delhi’s neighbor, as well as China, which traditionally supports Pakistan at international fora. He further urged the SCO member states to provide humanitarian aid to Kabul.
The SCO Council of Heads of State Meeting is the organization’s highest executive body, where leaders of member states approve decisions regarding its strategic direction. Apart from the leaders of SCO states—China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan—the summit was attended by the presidents of observer states Iran, Belarus and Mongolia, as well as the president of Turkmenistan and the heads of various international organizations.
During the meeting, SCO leaders approved 14 important policies, including the New Delhi Declaration, which articulated the collective stance of SCO member states on strategic and geopolitical issues of common interest. They also adopted two joint statements on Strategies to Counter Radicalization Leading to Terrorism, Extremism and Separatism; and Cooperation in Digital Transformation; as well as the SCO Economic Development Strategy. The summit also approved the accession of Iran to the SCO as full member and initiated the process for full membership of Belarus.