Pakistan is striving to have its status as observer changed to a full member of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO). President Zardari participating in the 10th Summit meeting of the Organization at Astana, Kazakhstan has appealed to the Organisation to expeditiously process Pakistan's application in this regard.
Why is Pakistan so keen to join the SCO and what benefits can it bring to her would perhaps merit a little probing of the origin of SCO, its principles and objectives and their relevance to Pakistan's situation?
The Shanghai Co-operation Organisation launched on 15 June 2001, comprises Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It succeeded the Shanghai Five Mechanism that was established with the purpose of strengthening confidence-building measures and disarmament in the border regions of the member states and to resolve border disputes among them. The ambit of their co-operation, however, was gradually extended to cover mutually beneficial co-operation in political, security, diplomatic, trade, and other areas. With the admittance of Uzbekistan to the Organisation, it was renamed as the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation and a new charter was drawn up, expounding its purposes and principles, organisational structure, form of operation, co-operation orientation and external relations.
According to the Charter, the main purposes of the SCO are: strengthening mutual trust and good-neighbourliness and friendship among member states; developing their effective co-operation in political affairs, economy and trade, culture, education, energy and environmental protection; working together to maintain regional peace, security and stability and promoting the creation of a new international political and economic order. The SCO abides by the basic principles of the UN Charter that stipulate respect for each other's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference in each other's internal affairs. In January 2004, in view of the burgeoning phenomenon of terrorism and extremism, the SCO decided to set up a Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) with the purpose of enhancing co-operation among the member states to deal with terrorism, separatism and extremism.
The SCO is unique in the sense that it is based on a new model of state-to-state relationship that derives its strength from co-operative configuration, rather than binding them into a formal alliance like Nato. The resolve of the SCO to fight the menace of terrorism, promoting regional peace and security and working for shared economic prosperity are very much in harmony with what Pakistan is looking for and needs desperately. Pakistan's resolve to look to the region where it belongs, for finding solutions to its economic woes and other debilitating challenges represents a paradigm shift in the conduct of its foreign relations.
The major initiative on part of Pakistan to strengthen its credentials for full membership of SCO was unfurled by President Zardari during his visit to Russia in mid-May, this year when he offered Russia the use of Pakistan's territory to gain access to the Southern Seas and Russia reciprocated with the reaffirmation for Pakistan's membership of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation. The recognition of the need for promoting trans-regional economic and trade co-operation and projects like a system of transmitting electric power from Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan and the building of a gas pipeline between Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) was also a very encouraging development.
President Zardari after his meeting with the President of Kazakhstan before the SCO summit, repeated his offer of allowing the Central Asian States to use Pakistani ports for quick and better connectivity with the world. The Presence of the giants like Russia and China in the SCO along with Central Asian states, rich in natural resources promise infinitesimal opportunities for peace and economic prosperity of the region.
The economic linkages evolved through the SCO forum will also strengthen prospects of regional security. Pakistan presently faces an existentialist threat from terrorism and religious extremism and the member states of the SCO are also victims of this menace in varying degrees. Making a common cause and fighting collectively to stop it in its tracks stands a better chance of success and Pakistan can contribute to this effort as well as benefit from it tremendously. Pakistan is also confronted with a severe energy crisis and the materialisation of TAPI and other trans-regional power and gas projects could help her to tide over the problem and nudge the process of economic revival. Pakistan presently is also engaged in diversifying its exports and finding new and easily accessible markets for its products.
The SCO states making almost one fourth of the world population with geographical proximity and easy accessibility, constitute a very lucrative market for its exports. Similarly it can attract the required investments in the energy and infrastructure sector in which some of the SCO countries have a comparative advantage. The strategic location of Pakistan in the region and its economic potential can also help the SCO members to exploit their economic potential to the maximum. With the prospects of Afghanistan and Iran also joining the Organisation in the near future, the SCO is likely to emerge as a very strong regional Organisation.
The SCO also has an international dimension. One of its purposes is to work together to promote and create a new political and economic world order. In the prevailing global environment, wherein a sole superpower supported by its western allies is feverishly engaged in fashioning a new world order chiseled to its own perceptions, the role of SCO in firming up the new world order and eliminating the vulnerabilities of this region to foreign intervention, assumes greater significance. Regional organisations like SCO are perhaps the best forums to strengthen regional security and preserving world peace. The foregoing facts make a very strong case for Pakistan to seek membership of SCO and present it with an historic opportunity to make amends for its past follies in the arena of foreign relations. The government therefore is moving on the right track.