Pakistan became a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization during 17th meeting of the Heads of the State Council summit held in Astana. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in his inaugural speech during the 17th SCO summit welcomed Pakistan as full member of the organization. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif along with his delegation attended the meeting of the Heads of State Council of SCO. Expressing gratitude to the member countries for supporting Pakistan’s permanent membership to the organization, PM Nawaz said it is a historic day for Pakistan to become the full member of the organization. A welcoming ceremony was held here in which Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was warmly received by Kazakh president in the powerful Eurasian body. Pakistan has been an Observer with SCO since 2005 and applied for full membership of the organization in 2010. The decision, in principle, to give membership to Pakistan was taken by the SCO Heads of States meeting held in Ufa, Russia, in 2015.The Heads of State Council is the highest decision-making body of SCO which meets annually. Pakistan fully subscribes to the Charter of SCO and the Shanghai Spirit. As an Observer, Pakistan has been actively participating in the activities of the Organization. Pakistan shares with the SCO and its member states, deep-rooted historical and cultural links, as well as strong economic and strategic relations. PM Nawaz thanked the founding members for their staunch support for his country’s entry into the organisation, which he hailed as an anchor of stability in the region. The prime minister said that the Pakistan pursued a policy of peaceful neighbourhood and stressed upon promotion of peace and harmony for the future generations which should not be made toxic with an air of animosity. He said with its expansion, the SCO had been transformed into true transcontinental organisation.He said the objectives of the SCO resonated with Pakistan’s core values for shared prosperity.
The SCO would provide Pakistan a good opportunity to play its role in addressing the challenges being faced by the region, such as drug trafficking, human smuggling and security related matters. The SCO is becoming one of the world’s gravitational centres and one of the foundations of the current global order. The SCO remains open to new applications and will next consider the candidacy of Iran, which is backed by Russia but opposed by some members of the organisation. SCO aims at protecting political interests of the member states and promoting security, economic and trade cooperation among them besides cooperating in efforts to address the challenge of terrorism. The grant of membership is indeed an honour for Pakistan ant it has become the largest geographical block in the world. Pakistan has great geopolitical importance in the region and its joining with SCO as full member will strengthen regional connectivity. Active and vibrant SCO can also play important role in resolving the regional outstanding issues. The membership of SCO may open new avenues of trade, development and prosperity for Pakistan.
