Daily Times

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called for a joint action by the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to address the common challenges of economic recession, terrorism, and climate change. “The SCO represents a promising future only if we seize the opportunity to achieve the shared goals for the region’s peace and prosperity,” he said in his virtual address to the 23rd Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State (CHS).

PM Sharif said the SCO leaders were meeting at a critical juncture as the world faced socio-economic challenges. He stressed that the regional organization could play the role of “beacon of peace, stability, and progress”. Terming regional connectivity a defining feature of the modern economy, he emphasized focusing on investment in this area as a “vehicle of peace and prosperity”.

He mentioned that China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, could become a game-changer of progress in view of Pakistan’s location connecting the region.

He announced that Pakistan was planning to host a regional connectivity conference in the last quarter of the current year.

On terrorism and extremism, the prime minister said the “monster” must be fought with vigour and determination by all SCO states. He pointed out that diplomatic point-scoring must be avoided by all countries and said that all forms of terrorism, including State terrorism, must be condemned. “There is no justification for killing people. Also, the religious minorities should not be marginalized in the garb of political agenda,” he said.

Sharif said the SCO countries must take concerted actions against terrorism, extremism, and separatism both in their national capacities and also under the framework of SCO-RATS (Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure). Terming peace and security a common concern, he said stability in Afghanistan was critical to achieving the common objective.

He highlighted the impending grave humanitarian crisis and economic meltdown in Afghanistan, which he said, needed urgent corrective measures by the interim Afghan government and the international community.

On climate-induced disasters, the prime minister said the situation demanded global solidarity as it was the time to act “now and immediately”.

He mentioned that Pakistan, during the last year’s flash floods, faced the “horrors of climate change”, leading to 1,700 deaths and economic losses worth $30 billion. Sharif said poverty alleviation must be a priority in the wake of economic recession.

On Islamophobia, he said peace and communal harmony were the need of the hour. He emphasized adhering to the resolutions of the UN Security Council to settle the issues amicably before it was too late.

The prime minister expressed Pakistan’s resolve to play a positive and constructive role in making SCO an effective regional organization.

He thanked India for its stewardship of SCO during the past year and congratulated Kazakhstan for assuming the chair for the next year. He congratulated the President of Iran on his country’s inclusion in the organization as a full member. At the CHS, the SCO leaders approved 14 important documents, 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 CHS also approved the accession of Iran to the SCO as full member and initiated the process for full membership of Belarus.

The meeting provided an important opportunity for Pakistan to share its priorities for the future direction of the Organization.

Since becoming a Member of the SCO in 2017, Pakistan has been actively participating in all SCO activities and has made constructive contributions towards achieving SCO’s multi-sectoral objectives under various SCO mechanisms.