SCO Summit-2024: Opportunities for Pakistan and Regional Peace

According to the Foreign Office of Pakistan, the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is scheduled for October 15-16 in Islamabad. For the past few years, Pakistan has been struggling domestically as well as externally. Similarly, the Middle East has been enveloped in a series of conflicts. The Israel-Palestine conflict, followed by the Israel-Iran conflict, followed by the Israel-Lebanon conflict, has shaken the pillars of the Middle East.

Pakistan is going to host the state officials of China, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Iran. In a goodwill gesture, S. Jaishankar, who has been serving as the thirtieth Minister of External Affairs of the Government of India since May 31, 2019, is also attending the summit in Islamabad. It is a sign of reviving diplomatic ties between both historical rivals.

SCO Summit 2024: Opportunities for Pakistan

Pakistan has been hedged in several issues, like economic, political, social, and security-oriented. Economically, Islamabad has been suffering under a mountain of debt. The exports have been quite low as compared to the imports. Similarly, international investors are reluctant to invest in Pakistan due to the capricious political and security situation of Pakistan. In addition,  Pakistan feels a sense of isolation in the international arena, It might be due to a paucity of FDI or the cessation of international corporations in Pakistan.

Politically, Pakistan has been in mire regarding its foreign policy towards its neighborhood. In the past few years, Pakistan and India have engaged in thrones, which have made both states distance each other. Moreover, the relations with Afghanistan are also atrocious due to the Afghan refugee crisis and the use of Afghan land against Pakistan by terrorist groups like the TTP and other insurgents. Pakistan and Iran also engaged in the ‘Tit for Tat’ conflict in January 2024. So overall, Pakistan has not griddled into a lot of demurrers.

The SCO summit is an opportunity for Pakistan to surmount the execrable issues to aggrandize the benefits for the nation. SCO holds the world’s largest producer, i.e., China, and the world’s second-largest consumer market, i.e., India, (Source: Visual Capitalist.com) Both countries can offer Pakistan in all said domains staggeringly. China has already been investing a major chunk in CPEC, a flagship project for Pakistan, but is confused by security issues, which would require a broader negotiation with India and Afghanistan to prevent the insurgencies.

In response to the goodwill gesture by the Indian government, Pakistan should react more willingly to engage in bilateral relations with India. Pakistan should engage in bilateral trade with New Delhi, as it benefits quite Pakistan more than India. Pakistan has to import a major chunk of goods from the US and EU, which costs more than average, due to which Pakistan suffers domestically, i.e., inflation. India can be a better opportunity regarding imports and creating a sound climate for bilateral trade.

The reconciliation towards the bilateral trade between both nations can boost the regional economy, which will also help to initiate negotiations on the key issues between the two neighboring states. Similarly, the Central Asian republics and Russia can help Pakistan capture the FDI, which can fulfill the dire economic needs along with solutions to the energy crisis in Pakistan. So overall, in the context of Pakistan, Pakistan can draw on the platform of SCO to sweep the confidence of other countries, having a boost to its economy and foreign relations.

 On the other hand, regarding the Middle East crisis, the summit can offer much more in figuring out the solutions for the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Israel-Iran conflict, and the Israel-Lebanon conflict.

“Daniel Markey,” senior advisor towards South Asia, at “The United States Institute of Peace Think Tank,” said that India’s strong ties with Israel and diplomatic links with Iran made it one of the few countries that could facilitate peace talks between the two Middle East rivals.

Kabir Taneja, Deputy Director and fellow at the Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation’s Strategic Studies Programme, said, “The real political leverage on this conflict lies with the US. If its diplomacy has failed, and if Washington is blindsided by Israeli actions, there is little chance for any other mediating power.” “India also advocated a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine and has condemned terrorism “in the strongest terms,” she added.

So following these stances,  The SCO members have the opportunity to take India into confidence and offer a shoulder for a “Peace Deal In the Middle East”. China, being a rising global power, should set the agenda at the SCO summit to have greater responsibility in establishing peace in the Middle East region. Similarly, Russia has strong ties with India, and can also urge New Delhi to have negotiations in the Middle East.

It is actually what Pakistan needs in contemporary times, a safe neighborhood, i.e., Iran and blood-free Palestine. Now, the ball is in the court of the stakeholders of SCO. It’s time for SCO to act as a global organization by being recognized as a leading prosperity-loving organization.