SCO Summit and Bilawal Bhutto
THE young and inexperienced, Oxford graduate Pakistani Foreign Minister recently landed in Goa, India for the 2023 SCO summit conference. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is the scion of a very renowned political family that has been in the forefront of the movement for democracy. His grandfather was the charismatic Z.A. Bhutto the founder of the Pakistan People’s Party and the architect of the 1973 constitution. His mother was the elegant Benazir Bhutto twice elected Prime Minister who was a firm believer in political dialogue, engagement and deliberations to achieve political objectives. Z. A. Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto were both masters of the art of negotiations and it was this talent that enabled Bhutto to achieve the release of our prisoners of war and sign the Shimla agreement with Indira Gandhi. The young Prime Minister of Pakistan has the blood of great statesmen and politicians running in his veins that should bring success for the country at any international event like the SCO.
The SCO currently comprises of eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six “Dialogue Partners” (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka. It is headquartered in Beijing China and was established in 2001.
This is a multi-lateral forum consisting of some important nations of the world with a lot of influence at the global and the regional level. This is an organization that acts as a great force against terrorism, religious extremism and bigotry. It is of vital importance for India and Pakistan both because both countries can make use of this forum to restart the process of dialogue that has been stalled for quite some time now. India and Pakistan both accuse each other of cross border terrorism and harboring militants for attacks across the borders and of course the burning issue of Kashmir, Siachin and Sir Creek can be discussed for mutual benefit, This SCO conference has the potential to create the basis for the process of dialogue between the two nuclear powered Asian neighbors.
India and Pakistan the two hostile neighbors in South Asia have been daggers drawn since independence in 1947, two wars and many border skirmishes have not solved any disputes between the two countries. These two countries are home to over 25% of the world population and both societies are mired in poverty illiteracy and economic crisis. Both nations face severe problems ranging from the environment, health, food, housing, drinking water and religious extremism. Both countries face severe serious and daunting challenges that have made the lives of their people difficult and tragic.
Any resumption of talks between the two countries will again ignite hope and have a great impact on the future of billions of people on both sides of the border. It should not be forgotten that it was at the SCO summit in 2015 when the ice was broken between the two countries when the then PM Nawaz Sharif and the Indian PM Modi met in a friendly atmosphere and agreed to the resumption of political dialogue between the two estranged neighbors. The current SCO summit in Goa presents an identical opportunity for India and Pakistan and both countries should not allow this opportunity to go waste in the best interest of the teeming millions of both countries. India and Pakistan both suffer from the scourge of intolerant politics and use of religion for the projection of a political agenda. The Hindutv a policy of the Modi Govt. has played havoc with the secular structure of the nation and the country is now a nightmare for religious minorities especially the Muslims.
In Pakistan too till last year the Imran Khan-led government became a pinnacle of hostility towards dissenting voices and Pakistan’s ranking towards free media and journalism hit an all-time low. Imran’s PTI clamped down on all political rivals and the country’s foreign and domestic policies were seen as incomplete, poor and short sighted. The previous government’s pandering to the right wing politics became a hallmark for hawkish politics in the country. Considering the conditions in both countries the need of the hour is of a political leadership and statesmen of the caliber of Mustafa Kamal Ataturk or Z.A. Bhutto to lead their people out of the quagmire of religious extremism and militancy.
In the atmosphere of war mongering and saber rattling Bilawal Bhutto can be the beacon of hope to douse the raging fires of hatred and hostility between the two nations.
Bilawal Bhutto has a great responsibility on his young shoulders to lead the way for a normalization of relations so that both countries can look forward to a future time of stability, harmony and peace in the region.
Young in years but charming, intelligent, educated and poised Bilawal is in the right place at the right time, He has the charisma of his grandfather and the elegance of his mother and is capable of making a break through and igniting a new hope for a better tomorrow.
—The writer is Professor of History, based in Islamabad.
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