‘Pakistan presidency will add credibility to SCO,’ former foreign secretary says

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s upcoming chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will add credibility to the regional bloc rather than merely benefit Islamabad, former foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry has said.

Speaking on Pakistan TV Digital’s South Speaks with Saqib, Chaudhry said Pakistan takes over the SCO chairmanship on Sept 1 and will host the organization’s heads of state summit in 2027, as older international institutions lose authority.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a regional grouping focused on political, economic and security cooperation. It brings together China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Iran and four Central Asian countries, while Belarus became a full member in 2024. The organization’s Council of Heads of State is its highest decision-making body and meets annually.

Chaudhry said the SCO matters more as those institutions falter.

“Global institutions such as United Nations are now weakening and respect for international law has decreased,” he said.

Chaudhry said Pakistan’s standing has risen sharply over the past year.

“Pakistan’s presidency of SCO will bring further credibility to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization itself,” he said.

He reversed the usual framing of what a chairmanship delivers.

“It’s not just SCO’s presidency bringing laurels to Pakistan. Now Pakistan is also bringing much more prestige to SCO,” he said.

Platform for regional engagement

On the argument that a rotating chair carries little weight, Chaudhry called the system standard and healthy.

“Every time a new member assumes its presidency, it brings its own imprint and it brings its own strength,” he said.

He said Pakistan sits “at the confluence of three sub-regions of Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia,” giving it a role in regional connectivity.

Chaudhry contrasted Pakistan’s engagement with India’s.

“India has not been very active in SCO because India’s priorities lie elsewhere, mainly with the United States,” he said.

Pakistan already chairs the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) and its business council.

He said the forum gives Pakistan a platform to raise concerns over crossborder militancy.

“Pakistan should raise how proxy terrorism through Afghanistan by way of TTP and BLA is being sponsored by external hands,” he said.

The TTP and BLA are two separate terrorist outfits with different organizational roots and areas of operation. The TTP is primarily associated with attacks in northwestern Pakistan, while the BLA has carried out attacks in Balochistan targeting security forces, civilians and infrastructure. Pakistani authorities have maintained that both organizations pursue agendas that threaten Pakistan’s security and stability.

Chaudhry said the TTP draws on weapons left in Afghanistan following the US withdrawal in 2021 and receives tacit support from the Afghan Taliban regime and India.

Those claims reflect Chaudhry’s assessment of the security situation.

The 2027 summit

On the 2027 summit, Chaudhry noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping has not visited Pakistan since April 2015.

“It’s been 11 years to welcome him on Pakistani soil,” he said, adding that a visit would boost the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

A visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said, has been “in the offing for a long, long time.”

Asked what would mark a successful chairmanship, Chaudhry pointed to Pakistan’s regional role.

“Pakistan is here as a net stability provider for our region,” he said.