Daily Times

THANKFULLY, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is unlike SAARC which was under the influence of hegemonic, monopolistic India feeling frustrated on Pakistan’s growing regional influence. Being now members of SCO, both Pakistan and India are expected to mend their ties and uphold the spirit of the SCO. The SCO was founded with an objective to strengthening relations among member states and promoting cooperation in political affairs, economics and trade. As per news /press reports only a day after the membership upgrade, tensions mounted on the line of control. Indian army fired mortars at Jandrot and Hot spring area of line of control, killed two civilians, and injured three, including 14 years girl Hafsa. If this is the position on ground how could tensions between Pakistan and India be reduced? How could the spirit of SCO be maintained.?

India must make best use of the opportunity provided by Shanghai forum and honestly act as responsible state, stop threatening and making false accusations on Pakistan. Living up to the expectations of Shanghai Corporation Organisation’s major objective, India must make sincere efforts for regional peace by removing tensions through cooperation and giving up its adamant behaviour and attitude, so hostile, towards Pakistan. India needs to keep in view the memorandum of obligations it signed to join the organization, the SCO that has the promise of peace and development for a larger region having biggest population that needs prosperity, love and good life. Is India prepared for such a significant role and contribution? It must pay immediate attention to facilitate settlement of all outstanding issues, with neighbouring countries, including the vital burning issue of Kashmir. India should remember that it has been accepted as full member of SCO under Treaty on long terms good, Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation which is the second most important document after SCO’s charter.

Keeping in view Pakistan’s relations with China and Russia and Pakistan’s active involvement in CPEC projects, part of the Chinese initiative of one belt one road (OBOR), and interest of other regional countries in these projects, Pakistan’s future role in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is not difficult to predict with such a solid background and crucial role so far played by Pakistan in CPEC; it is not a child’s play for any rival to even think of pushing Pakistan towards isolation. India should better stop its nefarious designs to create troubles for Pakistan’ as a traditional rival.

India has to understand the need for peace and the terms and importance of the spirit of SCO objective and the treaty of Good Neighbourliness, Friendship and cooperation it has recently signed. That Treaty signifies the need for urgent steps to Strengthen Pak-India relations and the necessary action to resolve all outstanding issues between the two rivals.

Mending relations between Pakistan and India is an obligation and not a choice. India could do good to itself by understanding the spirit of Shanghai cooperation Organization if it wishes to be an active and useful partner member state in the peace and development efforts under SCO. Good sense must prevail on India to understand how cruel and Criminal it has played all these years in making Kashmir is the target of state terrorism. India has to give back to Kashmir is the rights that belong to them, the victim of worse hate and prejudice and state criminality and terrorism. It is time to give Kashmir is the right to life and right to freedom.

We should hope for an ever lasting peace for stability and socio-economic and positive political and diplomatic evolution. We need to understand that lack of imagination leads to inaction. Imagination is the last resource of those who know not how to dream. The wise man, Oscar Wilde said, one thing I want to leave on this earth is Hope ‘We hope for peace in everyone’s interest. We could make the journey safe and secure between today and tomorrow. Our inner feelings are a reaction, pushes and pulls, action and reaction. To share the glory to remain glorious, we like to build bridges for connectivity and creativity. Remember dismantling and discrimination is not the passport to love but a passage to hate and fear and disconnect.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) gives us a powerful platform to build trust, make way to peace and to spur economic growth. This platform will also help to combat terrorism, reduce arms race and fight poverty and disease. A cooperative partnership between Pakistan and India is essential. With membership of SCO it is hoped that Modi government sees the bigger picture. India has to change its attitude and policy against Pakistan. India has to look for a policy of reconciliation with Pakistan for mutual benefits of SCO membership and constructive bilateral relations with all its neighbours for the sake of peace and development and welfare of the people of the whole region.

Required outcome could be expected only if India gives up its hegemonic approach and deals with its neighbouring states on equal level and not try to subject them to threats and not reduce them to a virtual subjugation and inequality. In spite of being a Hindu state Nepal is kept under pressure by India and not treated on equal level as a sovereign state.

Indian prejudice against its neighbours is eternal source of tensions in the region. A recent article published in India asks why India doesn’t have friendly neighbours. Surprisingly India is not friendly even with Nepal ait Hindu state. The Short and long of this write up is to highlight the need for India to understand the promise of Shanghai Cooperative Organization to Strengthen relations between member states. Pakistan and India have to use this prescription for good of the two countries. And that is the promise.

The writer is a former director of the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) Government of Pakistan, a political analyst, a public policy expert and an author. His book Post 9/11 Pakistan was published in the United States. He can be reached at iftahmad786@hotmail.com

Published in Daily Times, July 4^th , 2017.