Pakistan has become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in his inaugural speech during the 17th SCO summit welcomed Pakistan as full member of the organisation. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, addressing the summit, said, “The SCO goals resonate with Pakistan’s national ethos, and so do the core values of the Shanghai spirit and the SCO charter with our own quest for peaceful neighbourhood.”
The premier welcomed a proposal made by Chinese President Xi Jinping on a five-year treaty for good neighbourliness among SCO members, and thanked the founding members including China, Russia and others for their staunch support to Pakistan.
“As leaders, we should leave a legacy of peace and amity for our future generations, not a toxic harvest of conflict and animosity. Instead of talking about counter-weights and containment, let us create shared spaces for all,” PM Nawaz urged SCO heads of state. The PM congratulated India, which also became a full member of the SCO. He added that in the coming decades, the SCO, which has emerged as a ‘sheet anchor’ for regional stability would serve as a strong link between Asia Pacific, East Asia, West Asia and the Atlantic region
The inclusion in SCO is a major achievement of Pakistan and shows that the country is on the right path. Pakistan has been an observer at the SCO since 2005 and applied for a permanent membership in 2010. The decision to grant Pakistan membership was made by the SCO Heads of States in a meeting held in Ufa, Russia, in 2015. Founded in 2001, the SCO is comprised of six member states, mainly focusing on military cooperation between the members which involves intelligence sharing and counter-terrorism operations in Central Asia.
Joining SCO also reflects Pakistan’s growing influence on the global stage despite the fact that two of its neighbors have been running a campaign to isolate it on international stage.
Joining SCO is an indication of Pakistan’ growing influence at world stage.