At SCO summit, PM Shehbaz says state terrorism must be condemned unambiguously

• PM addresses SCO Council of Heads of State Summit in Astana.
• "Terrorism must be condemned in unambiguous terms," he says.
• PM calls upon the forum to engage with the Afghan authorities.

ASTANA: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Thursday that state terrorism should be condemned unambiguously as he stressed that rooting out militancy is a precondition for economic development.

Addressing the SCO Council of Heads of State Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, he said: "Terrorism, whether committed by individuals, groups, or states, must be fought collectively in a comprehensive fashion."

The prime minister's remarks came at the regional summit, which was also attended by India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. The Pakistani government has repeatedly said that the neighbouring nation sponsors terrorism in the country.

In a recent breakthrough for the security forces, they arrested two high-value Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), one of whom confessed that India provides financial support to the militants in Pakistan.

Pakistan, which has fought three wars with India, also has a New Delhi spy Kulbhushan Yadav in custody since 2016, who sponsored terrorism in Balochistan.

Lending further credence to Islamabad’s claims, the British daily The Guardian reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Indian government "ordered killings" on Pakistan’s soil.

In January, Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Qazi also said that the government has credible evidence linking Indian agents to the killings of two Pakistani citizens on its soil.

In his speech today, Prime Minister Shehbaz said: "Terrorism, in all its forms and manifestation, including state terrorism must be condemned in clear and unambiguous terms. There can neither be any justification for the killing of innocent people nor should the bogey of terrorism be used for political point scoring."

He also called on the summit to combat terrorism collectively and in a comprehensive fashion.

The prime minister also urged the need to ensure respect for the universally recognised principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and, people's fundamental right to self-determination and said UN Security Council resolutions offered a workable framework to resolve long-standing disputes, including those in the region.

"Failure to implement these resolutions had brought unimaginable sufferings to the people," the premier noted.

Engaging with Afghanistan

With the summit focusing on the region, the prime minister called upon the forum to engage with the Afghan authorities and also asked the Kabul administration to ensure its role in curbing terrorism.

"The SCO member states have a shared interest in ensuring peace and stability in the region, which is a precondition for any kind of economic development," PM Shehbaz said.

Shehbaz, a top leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, said that achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan is a lynchpin to this common objective.

"The international community must meaningfully engage with the interim Afghan government to help them meet their genuine economic and development needs," Shehbaz said.

At the same time, he said, the Afghan government must ensure that its soil is not used for terrorism by any entity against other states. 

"Recent terrorist activities have been a matter of great concern for all of us," he added.

'Forward-looking initiatives'

In his statement, the prime minister also reaffirmed Pakistan's strong commitment to the SCO Charter and principles and conveyed Pakistan's support for the expansion of SCO and reforms in the organisation.

He also welcomed the inclusion of Belarus as a full SCO member state and congratulated President Xi Jinping on assuming the Chair of SCO for the year 2024-25.

The premier said that cooperation with SCO was a high priority in Pakistan's foreign policy. He called for collective action under the SCO platform for achieving socioeconomic development.

He also advocated for enhanced connectivity within the region through efficient transport corridors and reliable supply chains. In this regard, he said Pakistan was the ideal trade conduit for the region and CPEC supplements SCO's vision of regional connectivity and integration.

On climate change, Shehbaz reiterated Pakistan's commitment towards a sustainable and nature-positive world.

He welcomed the SCO Agreement on Environmental Protection and called on developed countries to enhance support to developing countries for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

On Palestine, the prime minister said Israel's indiscriminate bombing had killed tens of thousands of innocent civilians.

He called for outrightly denouncing Israel's barbaric acts and called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire leading to realisation of the two-state solution with the establishment of the State of Palestine with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds as its capital.

The prime minister said Pakistan was looking forward to hosting the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Islamabad in October this year.

"Pakistan would strive to adopt forward-looking initiatives to promote steady development and sought active and positive collaboration of all SCO Member States."