Pakistan encourages SCO members to join CPEC

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Tuesday held an online meeting of national security advisors where India’s spurious claims were rejected and it faced defeat after its formal objections to Pakistan’s new political map were overruled.

The map was displayed in the background of Pakistan’s representative in the NSA dialogue Dr Moeed Yusuf, who is SAPM on National Security.

India, which was represented by Ajit Doval, had formally raised an objection against Pakistan on the display of the political map as background for the meeting by falsely claiming that the new political map showed ‘sovereign Indian territories’ as part of Pakistan. In its reply, Pakistan highlighted that India, under the international law, has no legal rights to claim the internationally recognized disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir as its part. Pakistan also categorically rejected Indian assertions that the newly released political map included any part of Indian territory.

Pakistan informed the SCO Secretariat that India’s illegal and unilateral actions in IIOJK are in grave violation of the UN Charter and UNSC resolutions on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Furthermore, Pakistan emphasized that the new political map represents Pakistan’s rights and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. It emphasized that Pakistan retains an abiding commitment to seeking a resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute through a free and impartial plebiscite in accordance with the UN Charter and UNSC resolutions.

The SCO agreed to Pakistan’s position and Dr Moeed Yusuf conducted the SCO meeting with Pakistan’s new political map as background for the discussions. Once again, India’s attempts to make a significant multilateral forum subject to petty bilateral debate failed and Pakistan’s new political map and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people were highlighted during the meeting of National Security Advisors of SCO member states.

Addressing the ’15th meeting of the Secretaries of National Security Councils of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member States’, the SAPM said a peaceful and stable Afghanistan is important for peace, stability and connectivity in the region and beyond. He said Pakistan considers SCO as a vital platform to forge closer ties with regional partners and promote various mechanisms and processes for multi-faceted linkages, connectivity and cooperation among the member states. He also deliberated on Afghan peace process and welcomed the commencement of Intra-Afghan negotiations. “Pakistan has long held that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and that a negotiated political settlement is the only way forward,” he said.

Dr Moeed said that Afghan stakeholders should seize this historic opportunity and work together to secure inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement. He assured that Pakistan would continue to play the role of a facilitator in the peace process. He said that Afghan alone have the authority to decide on the future of their country. “No outside actor should be seen as the guarantor of peace in that country. The process must be Afghan-owned and Afghan-led,” he stressed.

Highlighting the importance of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in the region, SAPM Dr Moeed said that CPEC aims at leveraging the advantages of geography to the maximum benefit of not only Pakistan and China, but the entire region. “Special Economic Zones under CPEC offer an excellent incentive for investment. We are confident that other SCO members will also partner with us in realizing the true potential offered by the CPEC,” he said.

Pakistan became a full member of the SCO in 2017. The meeting of the Secretaries of National Security Councils of SCO Member States in 2017 and 2018 was attended by Lt Gen (r) Nasser Khan Janjua.