ISLAMABAD: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) needs to fortify its regional counter-terrorism strategies, especially to address threats from Afghanistan, which pose a collective security challenge for Pakistan, China, Russia, and Central Asian nations, according to Sardar Masood Khan, Former Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, China, and the United Nations, and former President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

According to President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Sardar Masood Khan, the recent SCO meeting hosted by Pakistan marked a significant step with the joint condemnation of strikes against Iran by member countries, including India, which participated in such condemnation for the first time. Iran’s membership in the SCO added weight to this collective stance.

Sardar Masood Khan highlighted that the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), a subsidiary body of the SCO, serves as an appropriate forum for addressing regional security issues. He emphasized India’s involvement in the consensus as a testament to the platform’s importance in uniting member states on matters affecting regional stability.

He underlined Pakistan’s role as a primary victim of terrorism, facing ongoing attacks, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The magnitude of these losses underscores Pakistan’s significant sacrifices in combating terrorism, impacting both security personnel and civilians.

The SCO countries, he noted, have valid reasons to perceive terrorism as a shared regional threat, with Afghanistan remaining a central focus of the organization since 2001. China is concerned about security issues related to militant and separatist movements originating from Afghanistan, while Russia is wary of terrorism and drug trafficking potentially spreading through Central Asia toward Russia and Europe.

Sardar Masood Khan stated that RATS has pinpointed terrorism, separatism, and extremism as the “three evils” necessitating collective attention. However, he pointed out that the SCO currently lacks a sufficiently developed mechanism to counter these threats effectively, highlighting the need for enhanced regional cooperation.

Discussing Pakistan’s defense ties with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, he mentioned Pakistan’s support to Saudi Arabia during the conflict, deploying aircraft such as JF-17s and drones. However, he remarked that the specific criteria for activating the strategic defense agreements between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, as well as the trilateral Pakistan-Saudi Arabia-Türkiye pact, remain undefined.

He concluded that the regional security environment is dynamic, requiring ongoing diplomatic engagement alongside security collaboration, particularly through multilateral platforms addressing terrorism as a shared regional challenge.