Pakistan hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, focusing on strengthening multilateral dialogue for sustainable peace and prosperity. The Summit’s theme emphasizes cooperative solutions for regional security, economic growth, and stability. Pakistan’s geostrategic location and economic potential can bridge divides among member states amid global tensions and power dynamics.
India’s presence at the summit, reflected a mix of diplomatic posturing and selective narratives. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar acknowledged Pakistan’s role but criticized terrorism, separatism, and extremism. He emphasized the “three evils” of terrorism without addressing internal issues like the Kashmir turmoil and the Manipur insurgency. This selective focus on external threats, while ignoring internal unrest, underscores a broader challenge for India, which seeks to maintain its regional dominance while deflecting criticism of its domestic policies.
Jaishankar’s reliance on sovereignty and territorial integrity highlighted India’s disapproval of regional projects like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which have become emblems of Pakistan’s economic revival and China’s increasing influence in South Asia. CPEC, which passes through territories wrongly claimed by India, has been a source of contention between the two nations, with India viewing the project as a violation of its territorial integrity. This stance, while consistent with India’s broader foreign policy objectives, highlights the tension between regional economic cooperation and national sovereignty. India’s objection to CPEC reflects a broader concern about China’s strategic initiatives in Pakistan and Central Asia, which threaten to shift regional power dynamics. In this context, analysts may criticize India’s promotion of cooperation in multilateral forums such as the SCO while opposing regional initiatives such as CPEC and restricting trade relations with Pakistan, revealing a pattern of selective regionalism that undermines broader efforts at integration.
Jaishankar’s speech emphasized the importance of reforming the United Nations Security Council, which is central to India’s global aspirations. India’s plan to have a permanent seat on the UNSC is part of a broader strategy to strengthen its position as a global power, which has been opposed by Pakistan and other regional players in the past. Pakistan views India’s UNSC bid with suspicion, seeing it as an attempt to consolidate disproportionate influence over global decision-making processes.
The debate over UNSC reforms within the SCO reflects larger geopolitical tensions between rising powers like India and established global players like Russia and China, both of whom play significant roles within the organization. India’s soft power diplomacy efforts, like Yoga and ISA, may not address regional political and security challenges. Pakistan, on the other hand, focuses on infrastructure projects like CPEC, which could transform Pakistan into a regional trade hub and challenge India’s soft power narrative.
India’s selective participation in the SCO has significant implications, especially in the context of South Asia’s persistent challenges. Although South Asia is a highly populous region, it still lacks integration due to deep-seated political, economic, and security divisions that hinder cooperation efforts.
The Kashmir conflict remains a major impediment to any real discussion between India and Pakistan, with India’s present leadership, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is maintaining an increasingly harsh posture on the matter. The removal of Article 370, which guaranteed special autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir, has only heightened tensions, with the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IIOJK) opposing India’s unilateral actions. Modi’s efforts in Kashmir, far from settling the conflict, have exacerbated Kashmiris’ feelings of alienation and disenfranchisement, demonstrating that the issue cannot be pushed under the rug by diplomatic posturing alone.
However, the path ahead requires prudent diplomacy. Pakistan must strike a balance between its objectives inside the SCO and avoiding alienation from major global allies, especially given the organization’s reputation for counterbalancing Western influence. The summit provides Pakistan with a rare opportunity to raise its profile, but success will be determined by its ability to handle these issues, going beyond rhetoric to generate significant contributions to regional peace and economic integration.
The Kashmir conflict will continue to impede regional stability in South Asia. The only way to achieve long-term peace in the area is via dialogue, not isolation. However, India’s present strategy, which includes boycotting even basic diplomatic engagements such as bilateral discussions or cricket matches with Pakistan, reflects a larger unwillingness to interact with its neighbour.
This refusal to confront core concerns through conversation merely exacerbates the divide between the two countries, continuing a cycle of distrust and antagonism. To establish long-term stability in South Asia, both India and Pakistan must be prepared to tackle their differences via open communication and productive interaction. In this context, the SCO, with its emphasis on multilateral cooperation, provides a crucial forum for these debates, even if they do not explicitly address bilateral concerns.
Pakistan’s hosting of the summit demonstrates its commitment to multilateralism and regional integration, despite strained relations with India. With its strategic location, economic potential, and terrorism combat experience, Pakistan can build alliances with China and Russia to shape the SCO’s future, while avoiding alienation from Western allies.
The SCO Summit is a crucial moment in Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts. India’s involvement, despite the typical conflicts, emphasizes the crucial need for Pakistan to express its leadership in promoting multilateralism and regional cooperation. By exploiting projects like CPEC and tackling security concerns via real conversation, Pakistan can fight India’s selective participation and boost its own strategic importance.
However, the path ahead requires prudent diplomacy. Pakistan must strike a balance between its objectives inside the SCO and avoiding alienation from major global allies, especially given the organization’s reputation for counterbalancing Western influence. The summit provides Pakistan with a rare opportunity to raise its profile, but success will be determined by its ability to handle these issues, going beyond rhetoric to generate significant contributions to regional peace and economic integration.
