ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday addressed a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), wherein he drew attention to Israel’s war on Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire in the Palestinian territory.
The SCO Plus meeting included not only SCO member states but also observer nations and other invited guests. The expanded format aimed to broaden dialogue and cooperation beyond core member countries, engaging a wider range of nations in discussions.
Sharif, who led the Pakistani delegation at the SCO Council of Heads of State (CHS) meeting in Astana, urged the international community, especially the United Nations Security Council, to uphold its responsibility to ensure a ceasefire in Gaza.        
“He called for outrightly denouncing Israel’s barbaric acts and called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire leading to realization of the two-state solution with the establishment of the State of Palestine with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds as its capital,” Sharif’s office said in a statement.
Pakistan does not recognize the state of Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters.” Since the beginning of Israel’s war in October 2023, the South Asian country has repeatedly raised the issue at various forums and demanded the world stop Israeli military actions in the Palestinian territory.
Sharif said the summit was being held amidst unprecedented sufferings of the Palestinian people as a result of Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza that had killed over 37,000 Palestinians, including thousands of children.
He called for free flow of humanitarian aid and protection of civilians in the entire Gaza strip.  
The CHS adopted statements on safety of drinking water and sanitation, effective waste management and principles of good neighborliness as well as approved plans for ongoing cooperation in economic and security fields. An agreement on environment protection was also signed by relevant SCO ministers.
PM Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the “Shanghai Spirit” for mutual trust and respect for shared prosperity and development, underscoring his country’s strategic location as an “ideal trade and transit hub” for the entire SCO region.
Founded in 2001, the SCO is a major trans-regional organization spanning South and Central Asia, with China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan as its permanent members. The SCO member states collectively represent nearly half of the world’s population and a quarter of global economic output.
The organization’s agenda of promoting peace and stability, and seeking enhanced linkages in infrastructure, economic, trade and cultural spheres, is aligned with Pakistan’s own vision of enhancing economic connectivity as well as peace and stability in the region.
Sharif also met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President of Azerbaijan İlham Aliyev in Astana, according to the Pakistani foreign office. In the trilateral summit, relations among Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Pakistan as well as regional and global matters such as Gaza, Kashmir, Islamophobia were discussed.
“It was agreed that strengthening of trilateral cooperation among Türkiye – Azerbaijan – Pakistan would not only contribute to prosperity of the peoples of the three countries, but also serve to promote regional and global peace and stability,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.
“The three countries expressed their support for prioritizing dialogue among relevant countries in conflict resolution, in line with principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.”