PM Shehbaz calls for SCO unity, peace and connectivity amid global challenges

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called for greater cooperation, connectivity and peaceful resolution of disputes among Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states, saying the bloc must choose “cooperation over confrontation” amid growing geopolitical and economic challenges. Addressing the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting in Bishkek, the prime minister said Pakistan took great pride in being part of the organisation as it marked 25 years of its journey. He congratulated Kyrgyzstan on the successful completion of its SCO chairmanship and commended its contributions towards strengthening practical cooperation among member states. He also felicitated the leadership and people of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan on their respective Independence Days. “From a tender sapling, the SCO has grown into a towering tree providing the shade of security and stability to all of us,” the prime minister said. He observed that the global landscape was currently marked by intensifying geopolitical tensions, fragmentation of the global economy, the escalating climate crisis and unprecedented technological transformation. In such a complex environment, he said, the SCO represented the