Is Pakistan’s compulsion to invite PM Narendra Modi or a ploy to save SCO from China which has become Bhasmasura?

New Delhi: Pakistan will invite India to participate in the regional summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to be held in Islamabad. Pakistan is going to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in October this year. It is currently engaged in preparations for the summit. Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif made this statement on a private channel amid speculation that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not attend the upcoming SCO meeting. Defense Minister Khawaja Asif was asked whether Pakistan would invite the Indian Prime Minister to the SCO summit. To this Asif said, yes, there should definitely be no doubt about it. Asif also said that India had invited the then Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari when it hosted the regional summit in July 2023. Let’s understand whether Modi can go to Pakistan?

What is SCO, when did it come into existence

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, international security and defense organization. Founded in 2001 by China and Russia, it has now become the world’s largest regional organization. India and Pakistan officially joined the SCO as full members at the historic summit in Astana on 9 June 2017.
The SCO covers about 80% of the territory of Eurasia and 40% of the world’s population. The SCO has 9 member countries – China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Iran and Uzbekistan. Iran will become a member in 2023. Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia have observer status. The organization’s current and initial dialogue partners include Azerbaijan, Armenia, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

What is the purpose of SCO, it is important to understand this

The aim of SCO is to increase trust and neighbourly behaviour among member countries. To increase cooperation at technical, cultural, economic and political levels. To promote cooperation in areas such as transport, environmental protection, education, energy and tourism. The level of security, stability and peace will be increased in the Eurasian region. Another important objective is to promote the creation of a democratic and rule-based global economic and political environment. The main objective of SCO is to maintain peace, security and stability among member countries.
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Is China hindering the purpose of SCO?

SCO countries have a 20 percent share in the world’s GDP. 20 percent of the world’s oil reserves are in these countries. SCO says that one of its main objectives is to fight the ‘three evils’ i.e. terrorism, separatism and extremism. According to Annette Bor of Chatham House, a UK-based foreign affairs think tank, China is the only obstacle in fulfilling the organization’s objective, because voices of separatism are being raised in its northwestern region Xinjiang. In this region of China, Uighur Muslim nationalists have demanded an independent Xinjiang or East Turkistan in the United Nations. China wants to suppress the extremists who have risen for this. These are Muslims and ethnically of Turkish origin.
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Russia also wants to stop terrorist organizations like IS

Russia is also interested in stopping Islamic terrorist organizations like Islamic State-Khorasan and Hizb ut-Tahrir. Russia wants these organizations not to attack its land. The SCO has created a ‘regional anti-terrorism structure’ to deal with these challenges. Under this, intelligence is exchanged to carry out anti-terrorism activities.

China is building a network for Central Asia

China also sees the SCO as a means to boost its trade links with Central Asia. China wants to buy more oil and gas from countries like Kazakhstan. It has succeeded in getting supplies of oil and natural gas from here. The links that China wants to establish with Western countries through its ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ passing through Pakistan will pass through these Central Asian countries. China has been dependent on Russian railways for its exports. In such a situation, it wants to build a rail network across Central Asia that will help in transporting its goods to the sea in Iran.

China and Pakistan have border dispute with India

India has been having border disputes with China and Pakistan for a long time. Several rounds of meetings have been held between China and India in this matter. India’s relations with China have been quite bitter on the Arunachal border and with Pakistan on the issue of POK.

It is Pakistan’s compulsion to invite PM Modi

Dr. Rajiv Ranjan Giri, Assistant Professor at Delhi University, says that Pakistan has its own issues with India, which are bilateral. Since Pakistan is chairing the SCO, it is Pakistan’s compulsion to pursue its multilateral objectives. That is why the Defense Minister is giving this statement. One of the declared objectives of the SCO is to create a framework against terrorism. For this, the SCO has a permanent structure called RATS (Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure). Both India and Pakistan have signed it.

Calling the PM may be symbolic

Rajiv Ranjan says that the army has also had an influence on Pakistan’s politics. In many cases in Pakistan, the decisions of the army chief override those of the Prime Minister and the government. In such a situation, the question also arises whether the call by the Defense Minister of Pakistan to the Indian PM is symbolic? However, China is becoming Bhasmasur for its own organization, because it has border disputes with all countries. In such a situation, calling PM Modi can also be an exercise to save this organization.

When Modi suddenly reached Pakistan

Dr. Rajiv Ranjan Giri says that such conferences are not only a chance for leaders to meet but also a chance to start a dialogue on some front. If PM Modi goes to Islamabad on the invitation of Pakistan’s Defense Minister, then some other things can also be discussed during the meeting, which can restore relations between the two countries. Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attended Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in 2014. In 2015, the then Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj went to Pakistan on a two-day visit. At the same time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also suddenly reached Pakistan in December 2015.

New opportunities for dialogue may open up

According to Rajiv Ranjan Giri, relations between India and Pakistan have been full of ups and downs. The bitterness in relations between the two countries after the Pulwama attack in February 2019 has increased further after India abolished the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan has been raising the issue of Kashmir on international forums, while India considers it a bilateral issue between the two countries rather than an international issue. If Modi visits Pakistan, opportunities for talks will definitely open up.