Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

Pakistan chaired the 12th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of Border Services, discussing joint border operations 'Solidarity-2025' and planning 'Solidarity-2026'. Participants included representatives from Belarus, India, Iran, and other SCO member states, with Iran's border guard commander emphasizing interest in expanded security cooperation. Pakistan is set to assume the SCO Council of Heads of State chairmanship in September.

India's decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance is criticized as legally invalid, as the treaty lacks a suspension clause and relies on disputed facts. The article highlights India's unproven allegations against Pakistan regarding the Pahalgam terrorist attack and cross-border terrorism, which Pakistan denies. It argues that such disputes fall outside the IWT's scope and should be addressed through other international forums.

Iran has proposed forming an energy consortium among Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) members to enhance energy supply and demand coordination. The proposal, including a draft statute, was submitted during a Moscow meeting of SCO energy ministers and aims to synchronize electricity grids, expand regional energy markets, and advance solar and nuclear power projects.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi delivered a message from Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, aiming to address the stalled US-Iran negotiations. The visit seeks to prevent the collapse of a ceasefire and revive diplomatic efforts amid ongoing tensions over Iran's nuclear program and regional security.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to discuss the latter’s upcoming visit to Tehran and recent engagements at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation conference in Bishkek. The talks included Pakistan-Iran bilateral relations, regional security, and measures to strengthen national security, alongside Naqvi’s unannounced Tehran visit aimed at advancing the Iran-US peace process.

Pakistan and Russia signed agreements to enhance cooperation against illegal immigration and drug trafficking during a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Kyrgyzstan. Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Russian counterpart Vladimir Kolokoltsev also discussed repatriation and narcotics control, while Naqvi held separate talks with interior ministers from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan on regional security issues.

Pakistan reaffirmed its commitment to the 'Shanghai spirit' at an SCO meeting, urging member states to adopt a joint strategy against terrorism, organized crime, cybercrime, and drug trafficking. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi emphasized modernizing coordination and intelligence-sharing to address evolving security challenges, highlighting Pakistan's efforts under the National Action Plan to strengthen counter-terrorism and border security.

Central Asia is shifting strategic focus toward China amid geopolitical uncertainty, with Beijing's influence reshaping former Soviet states' orientations. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's Central Asian members are shaping the bloc's approach to the US-Iran conflict, as Kyrgyzstan prepares to host an SCO event.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met to discuss cooperation and attended the opening of the China-Russia Expo. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states leaders' summit in Astana. The two leaders emphasized the importance of cooperation between their countries.