ISLAMABAD (GNP): Pakistan’s turn at the helm of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2027 offers a valuable opening to promote connectivity, innovation, economic partnership and shared prosperity across Eurasia, according to Sardar Masood Khan, a former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, China and the United Nations, and a former President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Khan was speaking at a webinar titled “Post-Bishkek SCO Summit 2026: Challenges and Pakistan’s Chairmanship,” organised by the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies (IPDS). He observed that Pakistan has under a year to get ready for the summit and to live up to its central theme, “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation, and Shared Prosperity.”
He pointed out that Pakistan has already begun coordinating with partners, having held the first session of the Council of National Coordinators in late September. In his view, the country’s agenda should cover digital trade, multimodal transit corridors, infrastructure, AI governance and broader economic cooperation, and technological change must not leave any SCO member behind.
Khan suggested the 2027 summit could serve as a springboard for closer economic and security ties, while also mirroring a shifting global order. He urged that Eurasian transit networks be made operational by connecting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Central Asian countries, giving them a direct route to the Arabian Sea. He also floated the idea of Islamabad hosting the practical launch of the Universal Centre for Countering Challenges and Threats, agreed at the Bishkek Summit, which would support intelligence sharing across the region and common protocols for counter-terrorism across borders.
Pakistan, he added, could also work towards consensus among SCO members on a shared framework for climate and water, spanning management of transboundary waters, disaster readiness and green technology. He expected the summit to review progress on the proposed SCO Development Bank (SCODB), which would operate alongside the Interbank Consortium and complement existing development institutions.
On the broader strategic picture, Khan said Islamabad had the chance to establish itself as a trusted diplomatic centre and a resilient strategic link capable of balancing the major powers. The attendance of leading world figures, he said, would underline the SCO’s expanding influence in security, trade and equitable governance of technology.
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He rejected the view of the SCO as a mere “talking shop” or an Eastern counterpart to NATO. Instead, he argued, the organisation is helping shape a platform for a multipolar world, while firmly supporting the United Nations, the international rule of law and joint resistance to terrorism, separatism and extremism.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
