It would be a “huge error to disregard Afghanistan this time around,” the prime minister said on Friday, pointing out the connection between Pakistani and Afghani peace. He said this while addressing the Council of Heads of State (CHS) meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Samarkand.
Shehbaz landed at the ancient city of Samarkand on Thursday for a two-day trip. Among the representatives from Pakistan are Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, and Defense Minister Khawaja Asif.
The Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev greeted attendees to the close-format CHS meeting at the Congress Centre on the second day of the prime minister’s visit.
Presidents of China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev, Belarus’ Alexander Lukashenko, Tajikistan’s Emomali Rahmon, Uzbekistan’s Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Iran’s Ebrahim Raisi, India’s Narendra Modi, and Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev were also present.
The prime minister strayed from the text of his speech at the beginning of his speech as he spoke about Afghanistan. He declared, “As you are aware, Pakistan is a neighbor of Afghanistan, and peace in Afghanistan will assure peace in Pakistan.
So, what benefits Afghanistan also benefits Pakistan and vice versa.
He continued by saying that cooperation from all nations would be required to support all “positive projects” in Afghanistan. Therefore, ignoring Afghanistan this time would be a grave error.
Pakistan believes that the SCO’s socioeconomic assistance to the Afghan people should go hand in hand with Afghanistan’s improvement in the security and counterterrorism fields, he said.
The international world must aid Afghan economic development, according to Prime Minister Shehbaz. “In this regard, the financial assets of Afghanistan must still be unfrozen.”
The Afghan government, on the other hand, would do well to create a future based on inclusivity and respect for all people’ human rights, including those of women and minorities, as well as effective counter terrorism measures, he said.
He asked the SCO governments to work together to “combat this menace of extremism, separatism, and terrorism and eradicate it from the face of this earth,” highlighting Pakistan’s struggle against terrorism.
SCO state is urged to “construct a wall” to combat climate change
PM Shehbaz also emphasized the destruction Pakistan had endured as a result of the recent, devastating floods. “I have never witnessed such destruction before.”
He emphasized that stagnant water is creating a spike in waterborne illnesses like malaria and thanked SCO members for providing assistance in this time of need.
He pleaded with the SCO to “create a wall” against the threat of climate change and questioned whether this would be the last time a country would be the victim of such destruction.
But, he added, only a well-thought-out and long-term plan can bring about such a change. “Less than 1% of our carbon emissions. But this was what nature had prepared for us.
He urged creating a plan to protect our future generations.He reiterated Pakistan’s “strong and unwavering commitment” to furthering the SCO’s goals as he wrapped up his remarks.
Successful discussions with Xi and Putin
Later on in the day, Asif said that PM Shehbaz’s discussions with Putin and Xi were “extremely successful” in a tweet.
Shehbaz Sharif has been formally invited to visit both of them. Both invitations have been accepted by the prime minister. In Pakistan and Azerbaijan pledge to strengthen their mutual ties.
PM Shehbaz met with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan earlier in the day to address bilateral problems. The summit, which was held in conjunction with the SCO, discussed ways to improve ties between the two nations in a variety of areas.November 2022, there will be a trip to China, the defence minister said.
According to a report by Radio Pakistan, the premier stressed the significance of increasing bilateral interaction in the areas of trade, investment, agriculture, information technology, and tourism in order to maximise the relationship’s potential.
“Shehbaz expressed his gratitude to Azerbaijan for its support and solidarity with Pakistan as well as the generous financial assistance it provided for those affected by the floods. He also stressed that the significant natural disaster brought on by climate change called for urgent action by the international community to address this global threat.”
As a result of their shared history, religious beliefs, and cultural traditions, he continued, Pakistan and Azerbaijan have excellent connections.
Shehbaz also congratulated his counterpart on the historic achievement of liberating its occupied lands and reiterated Pakistan’s unequivocal support for Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, according to the article.
Furthermore, “he emphasised support for Azerbaijan’s right to self-defense in accordance with international law and in the safeguarding of its territorial integrity and expressed sorrow on the terrible sacrifice of 71 Azeri personnel in an unprovoked attack by Armenia.”
A long but fruitful day was had in Samarkand.
The prime minister met with a number of heads of state on Thursday, including Vladimir Putin of Russia, Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, and Ebrahim Raisi of Iran. He stated that the sessions were concentrated on expanding trade and investment in a tweet following the conclusion of the first day.
“I described the devastation caused by floods by climate change. Our joint growth objective is seriously threatened by the lack of food and energy, he continued.
On the margins of the ceremony, the prime minister was supposed to meet with SCO officials.
Asim Iftikhar, the spokesperson for the Foreign Office, had earlier stated to Dawn that PM Shehbaz had no intentions to meet with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
When contacted, a representative stated that although a quick meeting out of politeness was conceivable, no conversations would be taking place because neither side had requested to meet.