ASTANA: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif stated that it is a historic day today for Pakistan as it has become a permanent member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
Addressing the SCO’s heads of council meeting on Friday, he said “I am thankful to member countries for giving Pakistan permanent membership to the body.”
“Pakistan is determined to implement the SCO charter,” he added, stating further that economics is vital in connecting countries and bringing stability.
Prior to the summit, the premier breifly exchanged greetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while entering the venue.
The SCO summit is being held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.
With the inclusion of Pakistan and India, the SCO will now have a total of eight states as permanent members — after China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Other observer states and governments and international organisations are also part of the group.
The group will now represent nearly half of the world’s population after the inclusion of the subcontinental neighbours.
