The 25th Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, representing more than 40 percent of the world's population, was held in Tianjin, China. This meeting was of particular importance because at present the world is facing several international conflicts, while the issue of terrorism has also become a serious challenge to global and regional peace. The failure of the international community to stop the ongoing Israeli atrocities in Gaza, the prolongation of the Russia-Ukraine war, and India's recent aggression against Pakistan, in which it faced a humiliating defeat due to Pakistan's retaliatory action, but after that, the significant increase in the activities of Indian-backed terrorist organizations in Pakistan, were issues of particular importance for the Shanghai Organization summit. In the meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif presented Pakistan's position to the world in a very reasoned and unequivocal manner in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Terming terrorism, separatism and extremism as a serious threat to the entire region, he said that Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
The world does not accept the false narratives of countries that use terrorism as a weapon for political gains. There is evidence of external involvement in terrorist attacks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Those responsible for heinous crimes and their facilitators must be held accountable. A comprehensive dialogue is needed for lasting peace in South Asia. Pakistan desires normal relations with all its neighboring countries. Purposeful guidance and practical steps were expected from this important international conference regarding the establishment of global peace and stability, and its joint declaration makes it clear that every effort has been made to fulfill this need. The support of Pakistan’s position on terrorism in the joint declaration is certainly a great achievement for Pakistan. In the joint declaration, the member states condemned the Jaffar Express, Khuzdar attacks and the Pahalgam incident in Pakistan and demanded that the sponsors of terrorism and extremism be brought to justice. The declaration said that Pakistan’s position on terrorism has always been clear and unequivocal, which has been recognized by the entire world. The declaration said that double standards in the fight against terrorism cannot be accepted under any circumstances. The declaration stressed that all aspects of terrorism, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, should be effectively combated. The member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization stressed that joint and effective action should be taken against all terrorist organizations in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the principles of the United Nations.
The member states strongly condemned the actions that caused civilian casualties and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, and called for a sustainable ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza. The organization also warned against reinterpreting a UN resolution that endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. During the summit, the leaders of the member states approved 24 important documents related to strengthening cooperation in various fields, including security, economy, cultural exchanges and institution-building. Undoubtedly, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization can play a key role in the process of eliminating conflicts and terrorism and promoting global peace and development, and it is expected that the whole world will soon benefit from the positive and pleasant results of its decisions.
