The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) – comprising some of the most influential international actors such as China, Russia, and India – accounts for approximately 40% of global population as well as a large part of the world’s economy. It is at the SCO summit where representatives of these Eurasian nations discuss important matters like regional connectivity, economic cooperation, and security.

In his statement as the meeting’s chair, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) should be expanded.

The SCO Summit 2024 provided Pakistan with a vital opportunity to develop its economy and strengthen diplomatic stature by improving multilateral ties and establishing itself as a significant regional player. It has enabled Pakistan to market its position as a regional trading hub, especially through Gwadar Port, which would be used for linking Central Asia with global markets.

In his statement as the meeting’s chair, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) should be expanded. India, which has always been critical of the BRI, may view this expansion as a tool through which China aims at extending its strategic reach into South Asia and the Indian Ocean. Therefore, New Delhi can go for developing its own infrastructure initiatives to counter this. Since these countries are already engaged in political rivalry, therefore, it may hamper economic progress of the organization in general and in Pakistan more specifically.

Since the world we are living in is interconnected and interdependent, therefore, it is important to establish good economic ties with regional players in general and immediate neighbors in particular.

Pakistan is an agrarian country and our farmers are suffering a lot due to the massive cost of production.  Through the SCO summit, Pakistan will tap into modern farming technologies, strengthen its agricultural export potential, and enhance food security by promoting agricultural trade agreements with countries such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. By collaborating with these two nations, Pakistan’s agrarian sector can get a significant boost.

As far as trade is concerned, the SCO members seem to cooperate with one another except for India and Pakistan. Pakistan’s trade with India is conditional to India’s will.

Pakistan should position itself as a regional technology hub and take up this opportunity to encourage investments in IT startups and infrastructure. Similarly, the other SCO members like the Central Asian Republics can use digital platforms to have an easier access to markets in China, Russia and Europe.

Pakistan is an agrarian country and our farmers are suffering a lot due to the massive cost of production.

By working in the aforementioned aspects, the collaboration among the member states of SCO can be possible in the security domain as well. SCO’s collective counterterrorism strategy through Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) will help Pakistan improve its internal security by collaborating and utilizing intelligence from China and Russia. For Pakistan, this seems not only a security imperative but also an opportunity to strengthen regional cooperation. It seems to be the way through which Pakistan can gain trust, especially of its immediate neighbors where collaboration on counterterror has always been a big issue. By strengthening collective security, there are increased chances of addressing the security concerns of SCO member states.

Meanwhile, the functional approach suggests that the collaboration in the areas of high politics like security and political dialogue can be achieved by working in the areas of low politics. It is a bottom to top approach. Moreover, Pakistan’s performance in SCO will improve the chances of the country becoming a member of other organizations like BRICS.

By strengthening collective security, there are increased chances of addressing the security concerns of SCO member states.

Although all the member states attended the SCO summit in Islamabad, the participation of Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on behalf of India was a significant development. It was for the first time in 10 years that an Indian external affairs minister visited Pakistan. New Delhi was concerned that Pakistan might strengthen its relations with China, Russia and CAR in its absence. Refusing to attend the summit would have isolated India within the group. Moreover, maintaining ties with China and Russia is also important for India. Therefore, India decided to attend the annual event.

At the same time, Pakistan was able to show its role as an active and responsible member of the SCO and increase its diplomatic visibility by hosting Indian external affairs minister at a high-profile meeting. This gave Pakistan a chance to demonstrate its leadership in regional multilateralism and was especially beneficial in light of the current tensions in South Asia and Middle East.

In a nutshell, hosting the SCO 2024 Summit in Pakistan gave the nation ae perfect opportunity to make show itself as a significant player in Eurasian geopolitics and an emerging economic center in linking South Asia with Central Asia and beyond. This proved to be an excellent occasion for Pakistan, under its visionary leadership, to leverage the summit as one of the important steps toward realizing long-term regional stability and increasing global influence.