Hosting the SCO Summit: A Major Achievement for Pakistan

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit this year is being conducted by Pakistan in Islamabad with the motive of improving its diplomatic status.

Pakistan to Host Two-Day SCO Summit: A vital Event for International Security and Cooperation

Pakistan will host a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, an important security alliance formed by China and Russia to challenge the Western-led global order. The summit begins on Tuesday and will host leaders from key member states: China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus.

The SCO reportedly represents 40% of the world’s population and represents roughly 30% of global GDP. Therefore, the bloc is significant in international economics and politics. Interestingly, however, this bloc is peculiarly known for its diverse political systems wherein some members, like India and China, are regional competitors which have border disputes.

The prime ministers of China and Russia will attend; India sends its external affairs minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to this summit, many of whose recommendations, if they were to be implemented would only redound to the benefit of those major world players.

It is the turn of Pakistan this time,” as stated by former Pakistani diplomat and foreign affairs analyst Maleeha Lodhi. “It is an opportunity for Pakistan to enhance its role within SCO, and help to increase diplomatic relations between member states”.

Increasing Security Concerns Leading to the SCO Summit in Pakistan.

Amidst escalating political unrest and rising militant violence in the weeks before the SCO summit, Pakistani authorities have redoubled their crackdown on antigovernment protests and dissent.

To avoid violence, troops have been deployed at every nook and corner of the capital, Islamabad, and close to hundreds of Imran Khan’s supporters, already booked for various offenses, have been arrested. To make things more stringent, fresh laws have been drafted to check protest demonstrations and refrain vociferous criticism by their detractors.

It’s a really big deal for Pakistan. The government is sensitive about criticisms that they are not entirely safe for foreigners and feels it has something to prove with this SCO meeting—especially with such high-level attendance from key neighboring countries, including close ally China,” said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars.

The increasing security issues are a portrayal of the very dynamic background in which SCO is looking at the summit, with Pakistan trying to project itself as a stable and secure platform for this global get-together.

Strategic Significance of the SCO Summit for Pakistan under Security Scare

“There’s a lot at stake for Pakistan with this summit, given the domestic imperatives surrounding security and the strategic importance of the SCO itself,” underlined Michael Kugelman, throwing light on the very high stakes involved.

A latest brazen attack on a convoy of Chinese engineers in Karachi city recently shed further light on the dismal security situation in the country. China’s nationals have constantly been targeted by separatist groups, mainly in volatile Balochistan province, at projects related to CPEC, a component of Beijing’s megaprojects, the multi-billion-dollar BRI.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Pakistan on Monday to attend the SCO summit and lead a four-day bilateral visit-the first by a Chinese head of government to Pakistan in 11 years, according to the Prime Minister’s Office in Pakistan.

As per this major visit, Prime Minister Li is likely to meet with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari, and the top political and military leadership for improving bilateral cooperation. He is also likely to open the Gwadar International Airport funded under CPEC, which will further bind the two nations in economic partnership.

These developments suggest that security will immensely strengthen Pakistan’s diplomacy, as the country would be more than willing to demonstrate its stability and reliability as a host country for the SCO summit, in light of increasing international cooperation being gradually built amidst challenges.