PM speaks at SCO summit tells India to not demonise minorities for politics

Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) virtual summit hosted by India on Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stressed on the importance of countering terrorism and emphasised that minorities should not be discriminated against for political gains. PM Shehbaz made the remarks at the 23rd SCO summit in response to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement made earlier, wherein Modi said the organisation should join hands to fight terrorism and not hesitate to condemn countries that support terror. During his address, Shehbaz said that “SCO member states have a shared interest in ensuring peace and stability in the region, which is a precondition for economic development anywhere in the world." #Live: Prime Minister @CMShehbaz addressing #SCO Summit via video link@PakPMO @ForeignOfficePk https://t.co/oIjCxfc6tP — Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) July 4, 2023 “The hydra-headed monster of terrorism and extremism — whether committed by individuals, societies or states — must be fought by full vigor and conviction. Any temptation to use it as a cudgel for diplomatic point-scoring must be avoided under all circumstances,” he added. “Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state terrorism, must be condemned in clear and unambiguous terms. There can be no justification for the killing of innocent people regardless of the cause or pretext.” He emphasised that religious minorities should not be demonised in the “pursuit of domestic political agendas”. Read May this be the last IMF deal, PM prays Shehbaz noted that while the sacrifices made by Pakistan in fighting terrorism were without a parallel, the phenomenon continues to plague the region and remains a “serious obstacle” to the maintanance of peace and stability. "SCO countries must take concerted and immediate actions, both, in their national capacities as well as collectively...to combat the three evils of terrorism, extremism and separatism." 'Meaningful engagement' with Afghanistan vital for peace During his speech, the premier emphasised stability in Afghanistan for peace and prosperity in the region, achieving which is a common concern and a responsibility of all SCO leaders. "The cascade of unmet expectations has meant that critical support needed by Afghanistan to ward off a grave humanitarian crisis, prevent an economic meltdown and to combat terrorism has been withheld. This policy needs an urgent reset," he said, urging the international community to meaningfully engage with the interim Afghan government. "Similarly, the interim Afghan government must also take concrete measures to ensure [that] its soil is not used for terrorism by any entity," added Shehbaz. "A peaceful and stable Afghanistan will not only bring economic dividends to the Afghan people but would also unlock the true economic potential of the SCO region as well as contribute to global peace, security and progress," he said, inviting SCO member countries to play their part. 'Climate change demands global solidarity' Shehbaz drew the SCO summit's attention toward climate-induced disasters and the urgency posed by climate change. "Climate-induced disaster is knocking on our doors. Being a global crisis that threatens humanity's survival, climate change demands global solidarity and a global response. It is time to act," he said, citing "horrors of climate change" witnessed by Pakistan during "devastating floods". Read More People brave prolonged power outages Last year's floods claimed more than 1,700 precious lives in Pakistan, according to the premier. "[Floods] inflicted unimaginable losses of over $30 billion on our economy," said Shehbaz, adding that Pakistan is committed to working towards building a "sustainable and nature-positive world that we owe to our future generations". He urged developed countries to deliver on their assurances to "provide enhanced support to developing countries in mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change". Poverty alleviation, fundamental rights for all Moreover, Shehbaz noted during his speech that poverty alleviation, and the guarantee of fundamental rights and freedoms for all, were crucial for achieving sustainable peace. "The heightened military tensions across the globe and unprecedented hike in energy and food prices, coupled with the economic recession in the aftermath of Covid-19 pandemic, have taken a heavy toll on our efforts to address the challenge" of poverty alleviation, said the PM, adding that "the presence of the largest number of poor people on the planet within SCO borders obliges us to have closer cooperation for poverty alleviation." "To achieve the goal of sustainable peace, fundamental rights and freedoms must be guaranteed to all, including those under occupation," said Shehbaz. “Peace and communal harmony should replace violent, ultra-nationalism and xenophobic ideologies, especially Islamophobia.” The SCO should "resolutely oppose divisive policies based on prejudice and discrimination. There should be no place for willful provocations and incitement to hatred, especially on religious grounds," added Shehbaz. “The SCO stands for observance of the UN principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and [the] people’s right to self-determination,” he said, stressing that these universally recognised principles must be ensured within the SCO borders. He further added that the UN principles offer a workable framework for the resolution of “long-standing disputes” in the region. “These must be addressed immediately and settled amicably before it's too late.” 'Connectivity, defining feature of modern global economy' "In this era of global geopolitical flux, the SCO has acquired added significance as a beacon of stability, security, peace and progress. The fundamental values of Shanghai spirit are more relevant now than ever before," said Shehbaz at the outset of his speech. "Connectivity has become a defining feature of the modern global economy and is rightly hailed as a vehicle for peace and prosperity," he added, stressing the importance of the summit, which he noted was convening at a "very critical juncture" with important developments taking place in the socio-economic and security sphere. "Each year, SCO leaders underscore the importance of investing in connectivity to achieve our shared vision of an economically integrated region. Building efficient transport corridors and reliable supply chains are crucial elements of this shared vision," he said, referring to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a "game changer for connectivity, stability, peace and prosperity in this entire region". Read Also IMF deal charts path to economic recovery "Pakistan's location serves as a natural bridge connecting Europe and Central Asia with China, South Asia and the Middle East. Special economic zones (SEZs) being set up under the CPEC framework have direct access to our ports, which can serve as convenient conduits for regional trade promotion," said Shehbaz, adding that to this end, "Pakistan plans to host the SCO conference on transport connectivity for regional prosperity in the last quarter of 2023." Shehbaz, who was invited to attend the summit on the Indian premier's invitation, had begun his address by thanking the virtual host, India, for its stewardship of the organisation over the past year and welcoming new members, including Iran and Belarus. He also congratulated Kazakhstan as it takes over the chairmanship for the next year and welcomed Bahrain, Kuwait, Maldives, Mayanmar and UAE as new dialogue partners. Meanwhile, in his address Indian PM Modi said earlier that the SCO should join hands to fight terrorism and not hesitate to condemn countries that support terror. Modi also urged leaders of the Eurasian political and security grouping to work for the welfare of Afghanistan and provide humanitarian aid to Kabul. Afghan soil, Modi told the virtual summit of SCO leaders, should not be allowed to be used to destabilise its neighbourhood. India is the current president of the SCO, which comprises Russia, China, Pakistan and key Central Asian states. It assumed the rotating chairmanship of the SCO at the Samarkand Summit on September 16, 2022. The participation of PM Shehbaz in the CHS reflects the high importance that Pakistan attributes to the SCO, said the PM Office, ahead of the summit. The SCO is viewed as a crucial forum for regional security and prosperity and provides a platform for increased engagement with the region. Earlier this month, Pakistan and other SCO members were surprised over India’s sudden move to host the summit in July virtually instead of in-person.

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