ASTANA: Hours after Pakistan and India formally joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a security bloc spearheaded by China and Russia at a summit in Astana, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that two countries will have to work together to ensure peace and prosperity in the region.
“Let us work together to weed out terrorism. Problems can be resolved through dialogue, not violence,” he told Afghan leader at a meeting on the sidelines of SCO Summit, and assured him that Pakistan will take stern action against elements involved in stoking instability in the neighbourly country once provided concrete evidence in this regard.
The two leaders discussed in detail all issues including regional security situation, border issues between the two countries and enhancement of bilateral trade. Speaking to media after the meeting, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that the meeting was quite fruitful.
Advisor to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz was also present in the meeting.
Earlier, leaders of the largely symbolic body – including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping – formally signed off on the sub-continent duo’s accession at the annual SCO summit in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian counterpart Narendra Modi reportedly shook hands and exchanged greetings late Thursday at the opening of the SCO meeting, although New Delhi said that no formal bilateral meeting between the two was planned. 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’.
While addressing the 17th meeting of the Heads of State Council of the SCO at the Palace of Independence in Astana, the prime minister said that permanent SCO membership will help Pakistan combat terrorism, fight poverty, deal with climate change and ensure water security. “The expansion of the SCO is taking place at a very opportune time when mega connectivity projects such as One Belt One Road (OBOR) are being pursed in the region,” he said, adding Pakistan is diligently implementing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which is the flagship project of the OBOR initiative.
Congratulating India for joining the SCO family, the prime minister noted, “SCO gives us a powerful platform to build trust, peace and spur economic growth. With its expansion, SCO has been transformed into a true transcontinental organisation.” The prime minister said that the SCO gives the members states a platform for shared prosperity and connectivity and to overcome terrorism and extremism, poverty, unemployment, tackle climate change and water security.
While fully endorsing the SCO’s resolve to eliminate terrorism and extremism, Nawaz Sharif said, “Pakistan has fought its own fierce war against international terrorism and violent extremism, and with the grace of Allah Almighty we have been able to turn around the security and economic situation in our country.” Nawaz said Pakistan as a full member of the SCO would strive further to achieve the collective objectives of the organisation for regional cooperation, connectivity and economic prosperity. He urged the SCO member states to leave behind the legacy of peace and amity and not the toxic harvest of conflict and animosity.
