Pakistan Denies Blocking Afghanistan’s Full Membership in Shanghai Cooperation Organization
Islamabad: Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected reports of obstructing Afghanistan’s full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), stating that Islamabad does not oppose Afghanistan joining the regional bloc.
Tahir Andarabi, spokesperson for the ministry, announced that Pakistan has taken “no obstruction or specific action” to prevent Afghanistan’s membership in the organization. He added that he was unaware of such actions, emphasizing that the issue should be considered in light of the SCO members’ composition and their diplomatic relations with Afghanistan.
According to Andarabi, one of the essential prerequisites for membership in the SCO is having diplomatic relations with member countries—a matter complicated by Afghanistan’s political situation following the Taliban’s takeover.
This statement comes after Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan affairs, said that despite most members’ support, the full membership process for Afghanistan has not been initiated due to opposition from one country. In an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia, Kabulov stressed that the SCO’s decisions are made by consensus.
Although Kabulov did not name the opposing country, Izvestia, citing Russian government sources, reported that Pakistan opposed the membership due to security concerns—an allegation now denied by Islamabad.
Meanwhile, two senior officials from Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Arab News that despite China, Russia, and other members’ agreement, opposition from one country has stalled the progress of Afghanistan’s membership. One official, referencing the consensus principle, noted that even the SCO secretary-general privately confirmed that only one member objected to Afghanistan’s admission.
This source emphasized that regional countries officially support Afghanistan’s participation in regional structures, and this involvement should extend beyond diplomatic acceptance to active engagement in regional frameworks and organizations.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was established in 2001 through an initiative by China, Russia, and several Central Asian countries, later expanding to include India, Pakistan, Iran, and Belarus. Although not a military alliance like NATO, the SCO is considered one of the most significant regional forums for political and security coordination across Eurasia.
Amid these discussions, Pakistan and Russia last month held the twelfth session of their Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism in Islamabad. According to a statement from Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, the two sides discussed security threats and what they described as “terrorism emanating from Afghanistan,” an issue that continues to cast a shadow over Afghanistan’s regional standing and the SCO members’ engagement with the Taliban administration.
