Daily Times

The forum for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) provides another good opportunity for regional states to collaborate and cooperate with each other. This time, the forum will be hosted by China at its coastal city of Qingdao. The SCO was established back in 2001 and its members consist of China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Afghanistan, Mongolia, Iran and Belarus have also participated in the forum, but under the status of ‘observer’ members. India and Pakistan were granted full membership last year at the Astana Summit and this will enable them to push their agenda more effectively at the forum.

At the upcoming summit, the focus needs to be solely on increasing regional cooperation and strategic development. Each member nation can provide the others with resources and expertise, like China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) or the One Belt One Road (OBOR) project, which are set to be an economic and developmental gold mine for Pakistan. This forum will be a great opportunity to iron out any remaining problems related to this initiative, and to invite other regional powers to become part of it as well.

While Pakistan should focus on the spirit of unity and cooperation, it should still take this opportunity to highlight incidents of aggression exhibited by the Indian state, and use this forum to resolve the great differences between both the nations

The forum is also set to deliberate over one of the biggest problems facing this region today: extremism. Pakistan has been adversely affected by radical movements for over a decade, as a result of their ‘war on terror’ and it is an issue that threatens to spill over the entire region if not handled carefully. However, the expertise and experience that the Pak army accrued during their long fight against the extremist forces that had laid siege to their land will prove to be a significant advantage in eliminating these factions once and for all.

The forum is set to be an animated affair, with over 170-activities planned for the various visiting delegates. These include individual meetings between member states, which will lead to better cooperation and improving relations, especially between warring nations like Pakistan and India. It is imperative that Pakistan make a mark at this forum as the SCO is set to be one of the most multicultural and strongest international alliances in the world.

President Mamnoon Hussain, is scheduled to make a keynote address at the forum, and is expected to later meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in order to further discuss the improving relationship between their two countries. While Pakistan should focus on the spirit of unity and cooperation, it should still take this opportunity to highlight incidents of aggression exhibited by the Indian state, and use this forum to iron out some of the great differences between both the nations. .

In the end, forums like this are designed to help bridge gaps between different states, and open up new avenues for development in order to benefit not only the individual countries, but the entire region as a whole.

The writer is Professor of Leadership, Strategy & Research at National Defence University, Islamabad

Published in Daily Times, June 10^th 2018.