The 2024 SCO summit in Islamabad saw India and Pakistan avoid typical hostilities, focusing instead on regional cooperation.
New Delhi: The 2024 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, held in Islamabad from October 15 to October 17, marked a pivotal moment in the diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan. This year’s summit, notable for being the first high-level meeting in Pakistan attended by an Indian official in nearly a decade, took place at a time of heightened global tensions and regional instability. Both countries, historically at odds, chose to refrain from publicly blaming each other for long-standing disputes, adopting a more diplomatic approach in their interactions.
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar represented India at the summit, where he met briefly with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The SCO, founded in 2001, primarily focuses on regional security, economic cooperation, and counter-terrorism, and has served as a platform for multilateral diplomacy between countries with complex relationships, such as India and Pakistan.
This year’s summit was especially significant due to the absence of the usual hostile exchanges between the two nations, with both sides emphasizing regional cooperation and security issues without directly addressing their bilateral disputes. This diplomatic restraint, coupled with the broader discussions on terrorism, economic connectivity, and energy security, underscored the importance of the SCO as a forum for navigating tensions.
The Historical Role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a regional intergovernmental organization established in 2001 with the aim of promoting regional stability, economic cooperation, and security. It includes major global and regional players like China, Russia, India, and Pakistan, along with Central Asian nations like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The SCO evolved from the Shanghai Five, a grouping formed to resolve border issues between China and its Central Asian neighbors after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The SCO focuses on combating terrorism, extremism, and separatism—key areas of concern for member states. It also serves as a platform for cooperation on economic development, energy security, and trade. The inclusion of both India and Pakistan as full members in 2017 added complexity to the organization’s dynamics, as the two countries have historically been at odds over several critical issues, particularly terrorism and the Kashmir dispute.
However, the SCO’s structure allows both countries to engage within a broader regional context, focusing on shared interests while setting aside their bilateral disputes. The organization’s mandate for peace, stability, and economic growth makes it a crucial platform for managing tensions between these two major South Asian powers.
India’s Stance: Focus on Security and Regional Cooperation
During the 2024 SCO summit, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar maintained India’s firm position on terrorism, but chose a broader approach by aligning his speech with the SCO’s core objectives. Jaishankar emphasized the need for greater cooperation among member states to address security concerns, particularly terrorism, separatism, and extremism—issues central to the SCO’s agenda. He highlighted the importance of working together to ensure regional peace and stability without directly naming Pakistan as a source of terrorism, a sharp departure from India’s usual approach in multilateral settings.
Jaishankar’s speech also underscored India’s commitment to regional connectivity and economic integration, citing the need for enhanced trade routes, energy cooperation, and infrastructure development. He pointed out that India’s interests align with the SCO’s broader objectives, including the fight against terrorism and promoting regional prosperity.
In previous multilateral forums, India had often called out Pakistan’s support for terrorist groups operating across the border. However, this time, Jaishankar’s decision to avoid explicit criticism of Pakistan was seen as a calculated move to keep the focus on regional cooperation, signaling a more mature and diplomatic approach in such international settings.
Pakistan’s Perspective: Economic Priorities and Diplomatic Restraint
Pakistan, for its part, also opted for a more balanced and non-confrontational stance during the summit. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his opening address, focused on the importance of regional cooperation, economic development, and connectivity through initiatives like China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Notably, Sharif refrained from bringing up contentious issues like the Kashmir dispute, which had previously overshadowed such meetings.
Sharif emphasized Pakistan’s role in regional connectivity projects, particularly through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship BRI project that passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Despite India’s consistent opposition to the CPEC on sovereignty grounds, Sharif avoided directly addressing this disagreement, choosing instead to highlight the broader benefits of regional cooperation.
Pakistan’s focus on economic priorities during the summit reflects its strategic need for foreign investment and economic development. The country is currently grappling with a severe economic crisis, and its leadership is keen on presenting Pakistan as a stable and cooperative partner in the region, particularly in the context of projects like the BRI.
Mutual Restraint: A Diplomatic Opening
The diplomatic restraint shown by both India and Pakistan at the 2024 SCO summit marks a significant shift in their interactions at such forums. Jaishankar and Sharif’s brief handshake during an informal interaction symbolized this new approach, suggesting that both countries recognize the importance of maintaining a constructive dialogue within the SCO framework.
This change in tone reflects a broader understanding that multilateral platforms like the SCO are not the place for bilateral disputes to dominate discussions. Instead, both countries chose to prioritize regional concerns such as security, economic growth, and connectivity, which align with the SCO’s objectives.
For India, the emphasis was on its regional leadership role, calling for greater cooperation among member states to tackle global challenges like terrorism, climate change, and disruptions in global supply chains. Jaishankar’s speech also touched on the need for institutional reforms, particularly within the United Nations, a longstanding demand of India in international forums.
Pakistan, meanwhile, remained focused on presenting itself as a crucial player in the region’s economic development, highlighting its role in the BRI and the importance of regional connectivity. Sharif’s decision to steer clear of contentious issues like Kashmir further underscored Pakistan’s intent to focus on broader regional cooperation rather than fueling hostilities with India.
The Broader SCO Agenda: Addressing Regional and Global Challenges
Beyond the India-Pakistan dynamics, the 2024 SCO summit addressed several critical regional and global issues. Member states discussed strategies to tackle terrorism, extremism, and separatism, which remain key security concerns across the region. Economic connectivity, energy security, and trade cooperation were also high on the agenda, with discussions on boosting regional infrastructure projects, particularly through the BRI.
The summit also addressed global challenges such as climate change, economic crises, and supply chain disruptions, issues that have become increasingly pressing amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and other global geopolitical tensions. India, in particular, has been vocal about the need for reforms within global institutions, such as the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), a topic that Jaishankar reiterated during his speech.
Implications for India-Pakistan Relations
While the 2024 SCO summit did not lead to any major breakthroughs in India-Pakistan relations, the diplomatic restraint shown by both sides is being seen as a positive step towards managing their differences. The avoidance of inflammatory rhetoric and the focus on shared regional concerns suggest that both nations recognize the importance of maintaining at least minimal communication in multilateral forums like the SCO.
However, the underlying issues between India and Pakistan—primarily terrorism and the Kashmir dispute—remain unresolved. The summit’s diplomatic tone, while encouraging, does not indicate any immediate resolution to these long-standing problems. Nonetheless, the SCO provides a platform for both countries to engage indirectly, and this could pave the way for more constructive dialogues in the future, particularly in other multilateral settings.
The Path Forward: Cautious Optimism
The 2024 SCO summit showcased a more restrained and diplomatic interaction between India and Pakistan, signaling a shift in how both nations engage in multilateral platforms. While deep-rooted issues like terrorism and Kashmir remain unresolved, the summit’s focus on regional cooperation and shared challenges offers a glimmer of hope for more pragmatic diplomacy.
As both nations continue to navigate their complex relationship, forums like the SCO will remain crucial in maintaining channels of communication, even when formal bilateral talks are not possible. The summit’s outcome suggests that both India and Pakistan are willing to engage constructively within the SCO framework, a development that could have broader implications for peace and stability in the region.
