Pakistan’s ‘Look Who’s Talking’ Moment At SCO As PM Shehbaz Sharif Raises ‘Terrorism’ Issues

Astana: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), raised the issue of terrorism as a major concern for member states. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also called for “meaningful” engagement with the Afghan Taliban government.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, on Wednesday for an official two-day visit to represent Pakistan at the SCO meeting. Leaders and diplomats from China, India, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan are convening to deliberate on economic and security cooperation.

In his address, the Prime Minister underscored the necessity of sustaining peace in the region as a fundamental requirement for economic progress, as reported by Dawn News.

“Achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan is a lynchpin to this common objective,” he said, adding that the international community “meaningfully engage with the Afghan government to meet their genuine economic and development needs”.

He stated that the Afghan Taliban must “take concrete measures” to ensure their territory is not used for terrorist activities against any other country.

“Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state terrorism, must be condemned in clear and unambiguous terms,” he said, adding that there was “no justification for killing innocent people or using the bogey of terrorism” for political point-scoring.

Regarding globalization, he emphasized that it is the duty of leaders to transcend partisan geopolitics and collaborate to ensure a prosperous future for our citizens.

Discussing Pakistan’s contribution to regional trade connectivity, the Pakistani Prime Minister highlighted the country’s strategic position as an “ideal trade conduit” for the area, noting that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) enhances the “SCO’s vision of regional connectivity and economic interaction.”

He advocated for the use of national currencies in regional transactions to shield against “global financial shocks,” suggesting that alternative financial mechanisms could “propel various development projects within the SCO region.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to “strengthen collective efforts to improve living standards in the SCO region,” in light of escalating political and military conflicts worldwide and the resulting surge in food and fuel prices, which have “adversely impacted members’ capabilities to combat poverty.”

Pakistan and India became members of SCO in June 2017 at a summit in Kazakhstan.

(With PTI inputs)