SCO Summit 2024: Opportunities for Pakistan
- Pakistan's hosting of the SCO Summit presents significant diplomatic opportunities, including potential improvements in ties with China, Russia, and India.
- The summit provides Pakistan with a platform to strengthen its anti-terrorism efforts, particularly through the SCO's Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS).
- Political instability and recent terrorist attacks pose challenges to the successful execution of the summit, necessitating enhanced security measures.
Islamabad is all set to host the SCO Summit 2024, which will be held on the 15th and 16th of this month. In the wake of the summit, PM Shehbaz Sharif has adopted strict security measures to avoid any reprehensible situation because of the domestic political turmoil, including the enforcement of Article 245C of the constitution, according to which the Pakistan Army will take charge of the security situation in Islamabad. This is the first SCO summit that Pakistan will host since it joined the alliance in 2017.
Shanghai Cooperation Organization is an international organization that was formally established in 2001. The group currently comprises 10 permanent members, including China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. The primary objective of the organization is to promote regional peace and security and cooperate for development in different fields, including science and technology, tourism, culture, and trade.
Pakistan stands at the crossroads of Asia, which makes it a substantial member of the group. Pakistan is also home to CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor), which is a key project of the Belt and Road Initiative by China. Pakistan has access to the Arabian Sea, from where a major chunk of the world’s oil and gas passes through. It also acts as a bridge between Central Asia and South Asia because of its border with Tajikistan. However, lately, the country has been encountering major challenges, including political crises, terrorism, and economic recession. In such a quagmire, the SCO summit presents Pakistan with opportunities to enhance multilateral relations and acquire support.
The Indian Government has announced that their foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, will be attending the SCO summit in Pakistan. It will be an ice-breaking incident for Pakistan-India relations after almost a decade when an Indian delegation will visit Pakistan since the visit of the External Minister of India, Sushma Swaraj, in 2015.
Pakistan can raise its security concerns on the forum and acquire assistance from the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the SCO. Moreover, the peaceful and smooth conduct of the summit will be a positive precedent in this regard.
Though the Indian Counterpart has made it very clear that his visit is only for a multilateral event and there will be no room for any bilateral talks between the two countries, it could be speculated that if both countries maintain a positive position and remain focused on the SCO summit, keeping aside their differences, it would be a positive indication and may potentially lead to the restoration of diplomatic ties.
The Prime Ministers of China and Russia are also attending the summit. It presents Pakistan with two major opportunities. Firstly, there have been speculations about the deterioration of Pak-China ties as Pakistan’s status in Chinese foreign policy changes from “high priority” to “priority” due to the continuous political tensions and security issues in the region. Moreover, Chinese officials have been targets of terrorist activities in Pakistan, which have raised security concerns. Previously, during the Astana Summit, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif voiced his resolve to eradicate terrorism from Pakistan, backed by the counterterrorism campaign of “Zarb e Istehkam.”. Pakistan can raise its security concerns on the forum and acquire assistance from the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the SCO. Moreover, the peaceful and smooth conduct of the summit will be a positive precedent in this regard.
Secondly, in November, Pakistan formally requested to join BRICS. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk said that Russia will be supporting the inclusion of Pakistan in BRICS. Later, Pakistan signed various energy cooperation agreements with Russia. The presence of the Russian Prime Minister is a chance for Pakistan to strengthen ties through trade and cooperation. The presence of three major members of BRICS in Pakistan and for a multilateral conference can be a very promising sign for Pakistan’s entry into BRICS.
To achieve its goals, Pakistan needs to focus on regional peace, specifically the terrorism issue. The recent attack of the Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA) on Chinese officials just a week before the meeting is an indication that anti-state forces are trying to sabotage the conference. Such an incident can be a major hurdle in Pakistan’s anti-terrorism narrative, particularly when Pakistan would potentially put forward the argument to strengthen the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS). Under such circumstances, Islamabad must strengthen its security to ensure a successful summit.
The writer holds Masters degree in International Relations, having interest in the Middle Eastern politics.
