Spokesman Report
ISLAMABAD :Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday, reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to SCO objectives of peace and prosperity, urged the member states to put in their collective efforts against terrorism, poverty alleviation and dispute resolution, particularly the ongoing Israeli barbarism in Palestine.
“I reaffirm Pakistan’s commitment to working together to strengthen SCO as an active and integrated regional forum to achieve the common objective of peace and prosperity in line with the Shanghai spirit,” the prime minister said addressing the 24th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which commenced here in the capital city of Kazakhstan.
Titled “Strengthening Multilateral Dialogue – Striving Towards a Sustainable Peace and Prosperity”, the summit is being attended by leaders from Pakistan, China, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkiye, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, India and others.
The prime minister’s address encompassed all major regional and international issues, including terrorism and extremism, Islamophobia, instability in Afghanistan, poverty, climate change, regional connectivity, and resolution of disputes.
The prime minister said that Astana held significance for Pakistan where the country had formally joined the SCO in 2017 and congratulated Belarus for being the newest member.
He also felicitated Chinese President Xi Jinping on assuming the SCO chairmanship for 2024-25 and expressed confidence that under his visionary leadership, the SCO would continue to grow and prosper.
Highlighting Pakistan’s ideal geostrategic location, the prime minister said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – also supplemented the SCO’s vision of regional connectivity and economic integration.
Coming to the climate change challenge, he called for a collective and urgent global response and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to working for a sustainable and nature-positive world.
He told the gathering of SCO leaders that the rise in political and military conflicts across the globe and consequent hike in energy and food prices worsened the post-COVID recession seriously affecting the member states’ ability to address poverty. He said Pakistan would do its utmost to provide impetus to raise the living standards of people in the SCO member states.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, calling the lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan the linchpin to achieving the SCO objective, urged the international community to meaningfully engage with the interim Afghan government to help meet their economic needs. Similarly, the interim Afghan government must also take effective measures to prevent the use of its soil for terrorism against any other state, he stressed.
“Recent terror activities have been a matter of great concern for all of us. Terrorism and extremism by individuals, groups or states must be fought collectively in a comprehensive fashion. Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state terrorism, must be condemned in clear and unambiguous terms. There can neither be any justification for killing innocent people nor should the bogey of terrorism be used for political point-scoring,” he said and emphasised outlawing Islamophobia universally.
He said Pakistan opposed divisive policies based on prejudice and discrimination, inciting hate on racial and religious basis.