International relations experts and geopolitical analysts have commended Pakistan for steering the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation toward sustainable Peace, economic cooperation, and shared regional prosperity. The assessments follow Islamabad’s successful hosting of the 23rd Council of Heads of Government summit in October 2024, where Pakistan presided over vital multilateral negotiations. Analysts speaking on Radio Pakistan highlighted how the host nation balanced complex regional rivalries while prioritizing trade, counterterrorism, and infrastructure connectivity across Eurasia.
Background
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was established in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to address border Security, terrorism, and regional stability. Pakistan and India joined as full members in 2017, followed by Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024, transforming the bloc into a transcontinental platform encompassing roughly 40 percent of the world’s population and nearly a quarter of global gross domestic product.
The Council of Heads of Government serves as the second-highest decision-making body of the SCO, primarily focusing on economic cooperation, trade, transport corridors, and budgetary approvals. Pakistan assumed the rotating chair of the council for the 2023-2024 term, culminating in the summit held at the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad on October 15 and 16, 2024.
The summit took place against a backdrop of acute international turbulence, marked by global inflation, supply chain vulnerabilities, ongoing conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and escalating climate disasters. Pakistan used its leadership mandate to urge member states to abandon bloc politics in favor of win-win economic partnerships and collective security frameworks.
Key Developments
During the Islamabad summit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formally chaired the proceedings, welcoming foreign leaders including Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, and delegations from Central Asian republics, Iran, and observer state Mongolia. The summit also saw the first visit by an Indian foreign minister, S. Jaishankar, to Pakistan in nearly a decade.
Prioritizing Economic Connectivity
Pakistan placed transit corridors and infrastructure integration at the core of the summit agenda. Prime Minister Sharif urged member states to expand transport arteries connecting Central Asia to the warm waters of the Arabian Sea via Pakistani ports at Gwadar and Karachi. Delegations endorsed the expansion of the International North-South Transport Corridor and acknowledged the strategic relevance of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in linking landlocked Eurasian economies with international maritime routes.
The member states signed a joint communique consisting of multiple operational protocols. These agreements covered railway modernizations, digital customs clearance, and reduced non-tariff barriers to increase intra-SCO commerce, which currently accounts for less than 10 percent of the member states’ aggregate external trade.
Alternative Financial Architectures
Discussions among the heads of government addressed the vulnerability of emerging markets to external financial shocks and unilateral economic sanctions. Pakistan endorsed regional proposals to enhance the use of national currencies in mutual trade settlement, moving gradually away from third-country payment systems.
The meeting reviewed progress on establishing an SCO Development Bank and an independent Development Fund. Analysts noted that Pakistan’s proactive endorsement of these financial mechanisms demonstrated a practical commitment to creating alternative capital sources for infrastructure development across developing member states.
Climate Action and Public Health
Having suffered catastrophic monsoon flooding in 2022 that caused over 30 billion dollars in economic damage, Pakistan used its platform to position climate change as an existential threat to Eurasia. The summit adopted specific frameworks on environmental protection, joint disaster management mechanisms, and shared meteorological tracking systems.
Member states also agreed to deepen public health partnerships, drawing on operational lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to build resilient regional medicine stockpiles and early-warning networks for cross-border disease outbreaks.
Impact
Geopolitical commentators and regional experts pointed to several tangible diplomatic and strategic outcomes resulting from Pakistan’s management of the event.
Restoration of Diplomatic Momentum
Hosting the heads of government summit safely and efficiently reinforced Pakistan’s standing as a reliable multilateral hub. The presence of premier-level leaders from regional powers showcased Islamabad’s diplomatic access across opposing geopolitical spectrums, enabling structured dialogue in an otherwise fragmented international environment.
The measured diplomatic interactions between Pakistan and India during the event provided a stabilizing effect. While bilateral disputes remained formally off the multilateral table, the professional protocol and civil exchanges between Prime Minister Sharif and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar prevented the summit from being derailed by historical animosities.
Strengthened Eurasian Integration
The emphasis placed by analysts on Radio Pakistan underscored how Islamabad successfully aligned its national economic vision—centered on geoeconomics rather than geopolitics—with the broader aims of the SCO. By emphasizing peace, counterterrorism through the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, and poverty alleviation, Pakistan presented a coherent blueprint for Eurasian integration.
Central Asian states, particularly Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, welcomed Pakistan’s offers of shortened transit routes to maritime trade, signaling deeper commercial engagement between South and Central Asia in the coming years.
What Next
Following the conclusion of the Islamabad summit, the operational focus shifts to the implementation of the signed agreements and ministerial action plans.
- Working Group Execution: Sectoral working groups on energy, transport, and customs are scheduled to meet throughout 2025 to harmonize tariffs and finalize regulatory frameworks for cross-border logistics.
- Financial Framework Talks: Finance ministers and central bank governors of member states will convene to address technical barriers surrounding local currency clearing mechanisms and currency swap arrangements.
- Security Coordination: The SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure will conduct scheduled joint border exercises and intelligence-sharing sessions, specifically focusing on curbing cross-border militancy and cyber threats in Central and South Asia.
- Presidency Transition: China has assumed the rotating presidency of the SCO for the 2024-2025 cycle, culminating in the next Heads of State summit, where leaders will review progress on the economic integration initiatives prioritized in Islamabad.
Pakistan faces the ongoing challenge of translating diplomatic goodwill into structural economic gains. Sustained follow-through on transit agreements, domestic infrastructure upgrades, and maintaining constructive relations with neighboring member states will determine how effectively the country leverages its recognized contributions to Eurasian peace and prosperity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Pakistan's leadership of the 23rd SCO summit considered particularly challenging?
Pakistan chaired the summit amid severe geopolitical and economic headwinds, including ongoing wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, global inflation, and disrupted supply chains. Successfully navigating these tensions while uniting regional rivals around shared economic and counterterrorism goals earned Islamabad widespread praise from geopolitical analysts.
How did the 2024 Islamabad summit mark a diplomatic milestone between India and Pakistan?
The conference facilitated the first visit of an Indian external affairs minister to Pakistan in nearly ten years, as S. Jaishankar traveled to Islamabad to represent his country. Even with persistent historical friction between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, Pakistan managed to maintain a constructive multilateral atmosphere focused on broader regional stability and connectivity.
Which countries currently comprise the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and how influential is the bloc?
Originally founded by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, the SCO expanded to include Pakistan, India, Iran, and Belarus. Today, this transcontinental alliance represents roughly 40 percent of the world's population and nearly a quarter of global GDP, making it a critical vehicle for Eurasian trade, security, and infrastructure coordination.
In what ways did Pakistan promote trade connectivity during the meeting?
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif positioned Pakistan as a natural trade bridge by urging member nations to invest in integrated transport corridors linking landlocked Central Asian states to the Arabian Sea. By emphasizing mutual infrastructure and transit routes, Pakistan sought to shift the regional focus away from geopolitical bloc rivalries toward practical, win-win economic partnerships.
What distinct responsibilities fall under the Council of Heads of Government within the SCO framework?
Operating as the second-highest decision-making organ behind the Council of Heads of State, this body specifically oversees multilateral economic cooperation, cross-border trade, and transport networks. It also approves organizational budgets and works out practical agreements that translate the alliance's broad strategic goals into tangible commercial and developmental projects.
