Devirupa Mitra 
Islamabad: With Islamabad dressed up to the nines and under heavy security cover, the red carpet has been rolled out for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), with Pakistan eager to demonstrate that it remains a significant geopolitical player.
Amid the watchful presence of 10,000 security personnel, delegations from across the region have arrived in Islamabad, where flower-lined streets and decorative lights brighten the city. Flags of SCO member states flutter along prominent roads, freshly painted and lined with manicured topiaries.
Following a whirlwind 40-day renovation costing $7.2 million, the Jinnah Convention Centre is now ready to host the 23rd meeting of the SCO’s council of heads of government on Wednesday (October 16).
The last time that Pakistan had hosted a diplomatic event of this stature was 27 years ago, as per the Pakistan foreign minister M. Ishaq Dar, who termed it as Pakistan’s “return to the international stage”.
In 1997, Pakistan had hosted the first Extraordinary summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on the occasion of its 50th year of independence.
Speaking to The Wire, Farzana Shaikh, associate fellow at Chatham House’s Asia-Pacific Program, remarked that Pakistan rolling out the red carpet for the SCO meeting “signifies a country eager – some might say desperate – to reclaim its former role as a player on the global stage.”
“Pakistan is keen to show that it is still a serious player on the global stage. But more importantly, it wants to demonstrate that it knows how to clear up security and make the country safe for foreign investors, which is crucial for a cash-strapped and economically hard-hit nation,” she said.
Similarly, Elizabeth Threlkeld, senior fellow and director of the South Asia program at the Stimson Center, also noted that Pakistan is “keen to use the SCO summit to frame itself as a key regional player, signalling its geopolitical importance and investment potential amid concerns over security and stability”.
The SCO meeting is also taking place against the backdrop of the Shehbaz Sharif government’s domestic political challenges, especially from the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Independent candidates backed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan secured the most seats in the February general elections but fell short of a majority. While the government remains firmly in place, questions persist regarding its level of popular support.
The PTI had planned a protest rally on Tuesday, ahead of the SCO summit, demanding access to their jailed leader Khan, held at Adiala Jail. A ban on prisoner visits had been imposed due to the diplomatic event.
However, late Monday night, the PTI called off the protest, stating that authorities had assured them that doctors would be allowed to visit Khan.
Domestically, the joint Pakistan Muslim League (N)-Pakistan People’s Party government continues to face political challenges from the PTI, which had not been allowed to stand in the parliamentary elections under its own name and symbol.
The Sharif government has also witnessed an increase of terror attacks, most of which are blamed on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and have triggered a worsening of ties with Afghanistan.
“Pakistan’s government has faced criticism from the opposition over its perceived international isolation, which it will seek to counter through this summit. The recent finalisation of Pakistan’s latest IMF agreement was a key success for the government, and one it’s seeking to build on through the successful hosting of the SCO meeting in order to attract additional investment,” said Threlkeld, who is a former US diplomat posted in Pakistan.
In the economically weaker provinces, new civil society activism regarding alleged human rights violations has gained increased traction. A new generation of young, educated activists has revitalised civil society efforts in Balochistan. After being included in the TIME100 Next 2024 list, activist Mahrang Baloch was stopped from going abroad.
Just days before the SCO summit, authorities banned the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement, a group advocating for the rights of Pashtuns affected by Pakistan’s counter-terrorism actions, citing “security concerns”.
“These movements can cause enough political disturbance to show the outside world that all is not well in Pakistan, and that political instability remains a significant concern,” said Shaikh.
Pakistan’s full-scale efforts for the SCO meeting, led by Russia and China, also require a delicate balancing act as the Sharif government strengthens ties with the US and the West to secure much-needed funding from multilateral institutions for the economy.
“From Pakistan’s perspective, they deeply resent any suggestion that they must choose between regional powers like China or Russia – the dominant forces in the SCO – and Western creditor nations,” said Shaikh of Chatham House.
She pointed out that Pakistan has long been frustrated by what it sees as “double standards”, noting that “this perception doesn’t apply to Pakistan’s neighbour, India, which has successfully balanced its SCO membership with extremely close relations with the United States”.
“There’s always a hint of innuendo at play here,” she added.
Threlkeld pointed out that Washington will be watching the SCO meeting and the four-day visit of Chinese premier Li Qiang. “Both are likely to be seen in the context of Pakistan’s growing ties with both Beijing and Moscow, though more important than the meetings themselves will be any agreements reached, especially in the security domain,” she said.
For Pakistan, and India, engagement with the SCO is also related to Afghanistan, which has become a major headache for Islamabad due to the Taliban not listening to Islamabad over the TTP.
“Additionally, as Afghanistan remains a source of regional instability following the Taliban takeover, Pakistan has an opportunity to coordinate with other SCO members on managing the security fallout from the situation,” wrote Maria Jawad Khan in the Pakistani newspaper Dawn.
However, the SCO heads of government forum, unlike the higher-level council of heads of state, focuses primarily on trade and economic matters – aligning with Pakistan’s pressing need for economic relief at this time.
“Another point worth mentioning is that Pakistan has, in recent years, wanted to transform its image from a geopolitical hub to what it calls a geo-economic hub. This would expand its network of trade and economic relations with its neighbours, including its Central Asian neighbours. Pakistan’s aspirations remain in place for that, and it hopes that through the SCO, these relationships can be strengthened,” said Shaikh.
Maria Khan also highlighted that Pakistan had “urgent needs for new economic partnerships”.
“This is where the SCO’s economic dimension comes into play. By deepening its ties with member states, Pakistan stands to benefit from regional markets, infrastructure investments and increased trade flows, particularly through China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI),” she said.
India and Pakistan both joined the SCO in 2017, primarily to gain a foothold in Central Asia and engage in the region’s evolving security architecture. However, there remains uncertainty over whether the SCO has acted as a catalyst for connectivity networks, many of which are linked to the BRI. The SCO joint statement endorses the BRI, with India being the sole exception.
Indian officials point to the International North-South Transport Corridor, spanning Russia, Central Asia, Iran and India, as an example of a major connectivity project in the region.
However, its implementation, which is still limited, cannot be attributed to the SCO as it has its separate coordination mechanism.
“It [the SCO] started with the intention of acting as an alternative regional framework to Western-sponsored arrangements like the Quad. But it has not yet delivered. It may still, but there are too many internal tensions within the organisation to forge a viable alternative. We’re not seeing that yet, but these are early days,” said Shaikh.
Stimson’s Threlkeld noted that Pakistan’s efforts to enhance connectivity with Central Asia, both through bilateral channels and the SCO, have been severely hampered since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan and the deterioration of relations across the Durand Line.
“Cross-border terrorism remains a major point of contention between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with no resolution in sight, and Afghanistan’s observer status in the SCO has been effectively suspended since 2021, preventing its participation in the summit,” she said.