President Asif Ali Zardari has said that Pakistan will work together with member states of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) for maintaining regional peace, spreading shared prosperity and defeating terrorism. “Pakistan has made great sacrifices in the fight against terrorism and militancy, which pose common threats to the region,” he said on Wednesday.
Addressing the SCO summit at its 10th anniversary in the capital of Kazakhstan, President Zardari said who was accompanied by Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, Interior Minister Rehman Malik and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, said that Pakistan was committed to combating terrorism, extremism and separatism.
“Similarly, drug trafficking and production is not only harming our people but also fuelling militancy and terrorism. These are serious threats to the security and well-being of our societies,” he remarked. He said that Pakistan looks forward to enhancing its cooperation with the SCO to eliminate this menace from the region.
At present SCO has six members including China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, four observer states Pakistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and two dialogue partners Sri Lanka and Belarus. President Zardari expressed the hope that Pakistan’s application for full membership will be processed expeditiously.
“In the meantime, Pakistan intends to fully associate with all SCO programmes for peace and development. Pakistan wishes to participate in SCO’s initiatives in promoting regional and trans-regional connectivity and trade,” he said, adding, “we wish to cooperate with countries in the region in financial and banking sectors and for joint ventures in energy, infrastructure and education, scientific and technological development programs.”
He praised SCO for making significant contributions towards peace and development of the region in the last decade. “Pakistan is delighted to associate itself fully with the ideals, values and purposes of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. We share the SCO’s vision for the future. We uphold its objectives of regional peace and development.”
President Zardari said Pakistan belongs to the SCO region. “We share with its peoples, centuries of common history. Apart from our geographical location, the geo-economic realities also encourage Pakistan to join the SCO as a full member,” he said. “We, therefore, take pride in the remarkable achievements of the SCO over the last ten years. Our destinies are inter-linked.”
He expressed his pleasure that Afghanistan has decided to seek observer status with SCO. “This indeed is a welcome development. President Karzai paid an important visit to Islamabad recently and we had excellent discussions on the way forward.” President Zardari informed heads of states at the summit that the two countries agreed to cooperate in fighting terror and in promoting regional connectivity and economic and trade cooperation.
“We agreed that the way forward to entering in a new era of peace and prosperity is pragmatic cooperation.” Calling the summit historic, the president said he wanted to convey to all friends and partners in the SCO, Pakistan’s firm resolve to work with them for the common goal of ensuring a bright future for their peoples.
we wonder why Pakistani President is laughing with teeth showing when his nation is crying for electricity, high cost of edibles, lack of security and uncontrolled law enforcing agencies. If he cannot cry with Pakistanis, then he at least shut his mouth.
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