The Shanghai Cooperation organisation is an international alliance and consists of 10 member states and two observers. Pakistan hosted the Twenty-third meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government (CHG) of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) from 15 to 16 October 2024 in Islamabad. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit is a vital platform for addressing key regional issues such as trade, investment, security, and economic cooperation among member states.
Notable leaders who attended he SCO conference in Islamabad Included:
• Li Qiang, China’s Premier
• Russia’s Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin
• Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko of Belarus
• Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov of Kazakhstan
• Prime Minister Akylbek Zhaparov of Kyrgyzstan
• Prime Minister Akylbek Zhaparov of Tajikistan
• Prime Minister Abdulla Nigmatovich Aripov of Uzbekistan
Foreign Minister of India Dr. Jaishankar.
For Pakistan, the summit represents a significant opportunity to enhance its geopolitical relevance, stimulate economic growth, and take steps toward sustainable development. It also offers Pakistan a chance to present its vision for regional prosperity, focusing not only on growth but also on the well-being of its population and neighboring countries. For Pakistan this will be a good opportunity to restart the stalled peace talks with India.
It has now been over nine years since a top level contact between the two countries that took place in 2015 when the Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Suraj attended the conference on Afghanistan in Islamabad accompanied by Jaishankar as the foreign secretary. Relations between the two countries have been abysmally low since then and both countries have recalled their high commissioners with only skeleton staff managing the embassies in Delhi and Islamabad. The Indian external affairs minister Dr. S. Jaishankar led the Indian delegation at this summit.
The Indian Minister a veteran and seasoned diplomat clarified that his visit is only to engage in discussions related to SCO but nonetheless his presence at the conference ignited a fierce debate regarding India Pakistan relations.
The Indian foreign minister representing Narendra Modi was all smiles and eager to talk but probably was under instructions not to start any bilateral dialogue with Pakistan. At the lunch hosted by Shahbaz Sharif he requested to be seated with the Pakistani Foreign minister and hopefully they had some useful and fruitful discussions during lunch. The Indian foreign minister did show some positive attitude even his speech during the conference did not contain any toxic remarks about Pakistan and his body language throughout the conference was not hostile. For reasons best Known to him Narendra Modi did not turn up at the SCO moot but he missed a golden opportunity to kick start the stalled peace talks between the two countries.
During his roughly 24-hour visit on Tuesday and Wednesday, Jaishankar participated in meetings and other activities with Pakistani officials present, but there were no bilateral engagements. That is no surprise: Jaishankar’s trip was intended to signal India’s commitment to the SCO, not to strengthen ties with Islamabad.
This attitude is rather shameful and deplorable because this conference was indeed a good time to mend fences and make a fresh start for better relations between the two neighbors. Jaishankar congratulated Pakistan on assuming the chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of Government and assured India’s full cooperation throughout Pakistan’s tenure.Speaking to the summit attendees, Jaishankar noted that the world is currently facing two major global conflicts, alongside the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has severely impacted developing nations. He could have also quoted the example of India and Pakistan how both countries are suffering due to hostile relations that is impacting the lives of millions of people on both sides of the border.
He further pointed out that SCO member states are grappling with challenges like debt and other economic issues. Jaishankar emphasized that one of the core objectives of the SCO charter is to promote mutual trust, friendship, and cooperation among neighboring countries. He urged that if relations between neighbors are not good, it is crucial to identify and address the underlying causes.
The Indian foreign minister reiterated that the SCO must focus on tackling terrorism, separatism, and extremism, three of the most significant challenges outlined in the organization’s charter. The Indian foreign minister should have mentioned the example of India and Pakistan and how vital and crucial it is to promote mutual trust and friendship and the urgent need to address all challenges and differences through honest dialogue and bilateral meetings. He should have also mentioned that India and Pakistan both are grappling with the challenges of foreign debt, trade, balance of payment, foreign exchange reserves, foreign direct investments and a host of other economic problems. These challenges can be met only when the animosity and mistrust between the two countries are removed and a more conducive atmosphere based on mutual trust and understanding is created.
The most significant challenges outlined in the charter of the SCO are terrorism, separatism, and extremism and India and Pakistan are two countries desperately in need of facing these challenges to provide relief safety and prosperity to millions of their citizens. Cordial and friendly relations between the two nuclear powers of South Asia will not only benefit people of the two countries but will also have a very positive impact on the world community at large.
In this age of globalization closer cooperation in trade, culture, communications, energy. Education and tourism between the two neighbors can accelerate regional development and bring huge benefits for both countries.It was gratifying to see a brief exchange of pleasantries after more than a decade of hostility and severe tensions. Jaishankar interacted briefly with Shahbaz Sharif at the official reception hosted by the Pakistani PM.
The two leaders shook hands and exchanged courtesy greetings in a brief encounter lasting less than 20 seconds, as PM Shehbaz welcomed Jaishankar and other summit attendees.Mr. Jaishankar a very educated and seasoned professional diplomat is the right man in the right place at the right time to restart the dialogue with Pakistan. It is time that some leader like Jaishankar of India should seize the moment and start the peace process and India as the bigger neighbor and dominant power in the region should take the lead in the peace initiative.
—The writer is Professor of History, based in Islamabad.
