In his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted the transformative changes affecting the global, social, political, economic, and security landscape. The 23rd meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Governments (CHG) is being held at the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad.
During his address, PM Sharif emphasized the potential and determination of member states to build a more prosperous and secure future. "From the esteemed platform of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a beacon of multilateralism, I believe we have the capacity to create an inclusive future that reflects the shared aspirations of all member states," he stated.
He pointed out that Afghanistan, due to its geographical position, presents valuable opportunities for trade and transit that could benefit all SCO members. He underscored the necessity of a stable Afghanistan for fully realizing these opportunities and called on the international community to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the country. Sharif also urged the Taliban government to adopt a politically inclusive approach to prevent the misuse of Afghan territory for terrorism against neighboring countries.
Leaders from various member states attended the summit, including China's Premier Li Qiang, Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, marking the first visit by an Indian FM to Pakistan in nearly a decade amid tense relations between the two countries. Also present were representatives from Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Mongolia, and Turkmenistan.
The event is accompanied by heightened security measures, with over 9,000 police officers deployed across Islamabad. Roads have been closed, restaurants shut down, and public holidays declared to ensure smooth proceedings during the two-day summit.