Pakistan is going to host a major security meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) with senior leaders from the regional countries, including China, Russia and India among them.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was established in 2001 by China and Russia in order to discuss security concerns in Central Asian states and the wider region. At the height of political tensions, Pakistan will host the SCO meeting in the capital city, Islamabad, and it will be held under strict security measures, and Pakistan has declared a public holiday for three days.
The Taliban, the current ruler of Afghanistan, have not been officially invited to this meeting. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan has announced that seven Prime Ministers, one Vice President and the Foreign Minister of India will participate in this meeting.
This is the first major regional meeting that Pakistan is hosting after many years in the wake of Pashtoon justice jirga which has been held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with participation of thousands of people from different segments of the country. Meanwhile, protests by the supporters of the former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s have also made the political atmosphere of this country tense.
At the same time, the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan has always been a serious concern of the members of this SCO, and the presence of terrorist groups and drug smuggling from Afghanistan were also a great concern among the members at the Shanghai Summit in Kazakhstan.
However, Pakistan is hosting the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the SCO, which is the second highest meeting of this organization. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan has announced that the prime ministers of China, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, along with the first vice president of Iran and the foreign minister of India, will attend the meeting.
Afghanistan’s membership in SCO is not clear since September 2021 when Taliban return to power.
Also, the Prime Minister of Mongolia as an observer member and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan will participate in the meeting as special guests.
In 2005, the contact group of the Shanghai-Afghanistan Cooperation Organization was established, and since then efforts have increased for Afghanistan to be a permanent member of this organization.
However, after the collapse of the republic system and the return of the Taliban to Afghanistan, the status of Afghanistan’s membership in this organization is not clear, and the Taliban also not invited in this meeting.
Express Tribune, a Pakistani media outlet, has reported, quoting its diplomatic sources, that the Taliban were not invited to the Summit.
According to the Tribune, the secretariat of this meeting has not issued any invitation to the Taliban. The absence of the Taliban in this meeting has been confirmed after the secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization did not send an invitation to the Taliban.
This decision has been taken due to the current situation in Afghanistan and the non-recognition of the Taliban by any country, as well as the inactive status of Afghanistan’s permanent membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The report also said that Afghanistan’s membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has been inactive since September 2021.
Members of SCO expressed concern over presence of IS and al-Qaeda terrorists in Afghanistan.
Moreover, the heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization expressed their concerns about the activities of Islamic State (IS), also known as Daesh, al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan on July three of this year in Kazakhstan. Some of these countries have said that opium and heroin are smuggled from Afghanistan to their soil.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan media reported that the security institutions have tightened security, and they are ready to maintain security of the summit.
Pakistani media also reported about the non-participation of the Indian Prime Minister in this meeting. It is said that India and Pakistan participate in the meeting of the Council of Heads of State at the level of foreign ministers, because the prime ministers of these countries participate in the meeting of the heads of state, which is the highest forum of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Shahbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, will preside over this meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and on the sidelines of the meeting, he will discuss with the delegations of countries about regional issues and strengthening Pakistan’s economic relations with the members of SCO.
According to the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, this meeting will be about ongoing cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, environment and socio-cultural ties and will review the performance of this organization in the mentioned fields.
This important regional meeting will be held in Pakistan while this country is at the height of political tensions and ethnic differences. The supporters of Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, gathered in the streets of Islamabad last week and demanded Mr. Khan’s release from prison. They warned with anti-government slogans that if the former prime minister is not released, they will come to the streets again.
Pakistan hosting SCO at a time when political stability is fragile in the country.
On the other hand, the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement has held a “Pashtoon Jirga” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Thousands of people, including Pashtun political leaders from different political currents, have participated in this Jirga.
This Jirga has faced widespread reactions among the citizens and politicians of Afghanistan. A number of non-Pashtun activists considered this Jirga ethnic and considered it the cause of hypocrisy among the citizens of the country, while another group supported the claim of this movement and described it as an action to ensure justice at the regional level.
At the same time, a number of politicians have said that neither exaggerated descriptions nor prejudiced reactions are the solution, and it remains to be seen what the outcome of this Jirga will be in light of the rapid developments taking place in the region.
SCO is a political, economic and security alliance working for betterment of the region
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a political, economic and security alliance in Eurasia that was established in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The organization has since expanded to include India, Pakistan and Iran as full members, while Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia are recognized as observers and other countries as dialogue partners. The SCO is often seen as a counterbalance to Western alliances such as NATO and plays an important role in strengthening regional cooperation.
The highest decision-making body of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is the Council of Heads of State (CHS). This council meets once a year and deals with important issues of the organization.
The Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) (CHG) is also held once a year to review the strategy of multilateral cooperation and priorities within the organization, determine fundamental issues and current issues in the economic and other fields, and approve the budget of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The organization has two permanent bodies: the Secretariat in Beijing and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) in Tashkent.
Afghanistan had joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as an observer member on June 7, 2012.
