Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

 • The SCO emerged out of the Shanghai Five, created in 1996

with China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan as
founding members

 In 2001, the Shanghai Five was expanded and renamed SCO with
the inclusion of Uzbekistan. In 2005, Pakistan, India, Iran and
Mongolia joined as observers.
 During the 17th SCO summit in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana,
Pakistan became an SCO member on June 9, 2017
 Moscow supported New Delhi’s bid for membership, Beijing,
arguably the main player in the SCO, supported Islamabad’s bid

The main objectives of the SCO are to (i) strengthen relations among

member states; (ii) promote cooperation in political affairs, economics
and trade, scientific-technical, cultural, and educational spheres as well
as in energy, transportation, tourism, and environmental protection; (iv)
safeguard regional peace, security, and stability; and (v) create a
democratic, equitable international political and economic order.

Some have described it as the beginning of a new organization

resembling the Warsaw Pact (or a “NATO of the East”).
Benefits of SCO membership for Pakistan:

• Opportunity to improve its relations with the regional countries by

facilitating trade through the Gwadar port, contributing to a
regional solution to the Afghanistan issue, addressing its
worsening energy crisis, as well as learning from and contributing
to the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS).

 it is imperative that using the SCO platform, these states develop a

joint strategy to address the Afghanistan problem and ISIS threat.
 Develop defence ties with Russia
 Pakistan provides natural link and route for other SCO members to
access the Indian Ocean
 Islamabad can provide SCO member states with preferential access
to Gwadar.
 Import oil and gas from SCO countries (Uzbekhistan, Tajikistan,
Kazakhistan) and fix energy problem
  Learning from and contributing to Regional Anti Terrorist
Structure

Pak-India ties in SCO:

 India also needs to exercise caution in using the SCO to highlight

the Kashmir problem, as China can raise the Tibet issue and India’s
sheltering of the Dalai Lama in response.
 While India can use the SCO to voice its concerns over
Islamabad’s alleged support for terrorism in India, China has so far
supported Pakistan on this issue, including through its recent veto
to a UN resolution designating Masood Azhar of Jaish-e-
Muhammad a wanted terrorist.
Challenges for Pakistan:

 Despite immense potential, Islamabad’s trade and economic

relations with most SCO members, aside from China, are minimal

Challenges for SCO overall:

 Russia and China have been labelled as “long-standing strategic

competitors of the USA”, though both powers have defensive
nuclear doctrines.

Recommendations for Improvement in Working of SCO:

 there is need to consolidate solidarity and coordination,

 all of the SCO members are facing security challenges which needs
joint efforts of the member countries to tackle them.
 practical cooperation are needed
 fourthly, people-to-people and cultural bonds are needed to be
enhanced.
 openness and inclusiveness should be maintained

Latest updates summit 2023 SCO

India is hosting the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit

2023 today, July 4. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President
Vladimir Putin and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will be
virtually joining Prime Minister Narendra Modi 23rd meeting of the
SCO’s Council of Heads of State today to discuss regional and global
issues.

Role of SCO for Indo-Pak Peace:

 18th SCO Summit held on June 9-10 2018 where Pak- India
participated as full members for first time. A three year program
was announced: joint drills and counter-terror operations,
 streamlining a closer exchange of experience and operational
information
 RATS facilitates members to act collectively against transnational
terrorism.
 SCO charter article 2, prevents interference, aggression, seeking
unilateral military superiority in adjacent areas,
 It was in 2018 that India and Pakistan had come together for a joint
military exercise under the umbrella of the SCO. Even though both
together under UN Peacekeeping, but this is the first time they
engaged in a counter-terrorism activity together
 However, in August 2020 India withdrew from the SCO military
exercise — Kavkaz-2020 — that was scheduled to be held in
southern Russia in September last year as it did not want to
perform drills with Chinese soldiers amid tensions at the Line of
Actual Control (LAC).
 “The RATS mechanism of SCO can play a constructive role in
monitoring these flows (drugs, illegal weapons and human
trafficking) and enhancing information-sharing
 The “Peace Mission 2021” counter-terrorism military drill in sept,
Russia
 Pakistan sent delegation to India to participate in a cyber security
seminar being hosted by India under the framework of the SCO
Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS)
 Pak and India inclusion can allow SCO to tackle terrorism,
extremism and separatism which fuels poverty, unorganised crime,
 SCO Youth Council to “actively participate in our work on
preventing the recruitment of young people to participate in
terrorist activities.”
 Post-withdrawal, Russia and China are pushing for SCO to be used
as a platform
 CPEC can be connected to 6 main trade corridors of SCO
 Unlike SAARC, India and Pak are not two dominant poles in SCO.