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Published in April, 2019
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Brief of the Event
Center for Global and Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad organized a Roundtable
Discussion Session on “Shanghai Cooperation Organization: Future Prospects and
Regional Connectivity”, on 13th March, 2019 at the Islamabad Club, Islamabad.
The panelists shared their valuable inputs and emphasized that Shanghai Cooperation
Organization is a pivotal organization to promote closer ties in the region. The diverse
nature of cooperation exists within SCO and Pakistan has a lot to offer to the SCO region.
The agenda points of the discussion were the promotion of regional connectivity in terms
of cooperation in trade, commerce, development initiatives, promotion of art and culture
among the SCO member states, enhancement of tourism and people to people contact in
the SCO region. The foreign dignitaries appreciated the efforts of Pakistan in the peace,
stability and progress of the region and vowed to further enhance bilateral and
multilateral cooperation through initiatives in various fields.
Around 90 people attended the Roundtable session including diplomats, foreign policy
experts and members of the Center for Global and Strategic Studies Advisory Board.
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Participants
The Roundtable had the participation of the Head of the Think Tanks/Representatives of
the SCO Member and Observer States including China, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia,
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Iran and members of the Center for Global and Strategic
Studies Advisory Board. Approximately 100 participants attended the session. The list of
speakers is as follows:
Host: Major General Syed Khalid Amir Jaffery, HI (M), (Retd), President – Center for
Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS)
Moderator: Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Taimur Akram, (Retd) – Executive Director,
Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS)
Speakers:
1. Professor Sun Zhuangzhi – Secretary General of Center for Shanghai Cooperation
Organization Study, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China
2. Dr. Leonid Gusev – Expert, Moscow State Institute of International Relations,
Moscow, Russia
3. Mr. Bakhtiyor Mustafayev – Head of the Institute for Strategic and Regional
Studies (ISRS) under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent,
Uzbekistan
4. Mr. Seitzhan Apyshev – Advisor to Director, National Institute for Strategic
Studies of the Kyrgyz Republic (NISS KR), Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic
5. Professor Elena Dostanko – Head, Academic Affairs Unit, Belarusian State
University, Minsk, Belarus
6. Mr. Seyed Majid Ghafelehbashi – Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Political and
International Studies (IPIS), Tehran, Iran
7. Mr. Bohodur Buriev – First Secretary, Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan
8. Major General Hafiz Masroor Ahmed, (Retd) – Vice President, CGSS
9. Lieutenant General Naeem Khalid Lodhi, HI (M), (Retd) - Former Federal
Minister of Defence
10. Mr. Ashfaq Ahmed Gondal – Senior Member Advisory Board, CGSS
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11. Mr. Naveed Safdar Bukhari – Director General SCO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Government of Pakistan
12. Mr. Kanwar Dilshad – Former Secretary, Election Commission of Pakistan
13. Brigadier Akhtar Nawaz Janjua (Retd) – Member Advisory Board, CGSS
14. Mr. Agha Iqrar – Editor, Dispatch News Desk
15. Ms. Hina Gul – Deputy Director, Ministry of Commerce, Government of Pakistan
16. Mr. Maaz Mahmood – President, All Pakistan Business Forum
17. Mr. Shakeel Ahmed Ramay – Executive Director, Zalmi Foundation
18. Mr. Ahsan Abbas – Research Fellow, Center of Excellence CPEC
19. Mr. Abdullah Hamid Gul – Director, Measac Research Institute
20. Mr. Zahid Latif – Director, Islamabad Stock Exchange
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Roundtable Discussion
The session started by highlighting the agenda of ‘Shanghai Cooperation
Organization: Future Prospects and Regional Connectivity’ and focused on the
importance of strengthening relations between the member states, safeguard regional
peace, security and stability, to
promote cooperation in
different spheres such as,
political affairs, trade,
educational and cultural
exchange programs, scientific-
technical spheres and as well
as in energy, transportation
and environmental protection
by initiating more realistic
steps. The aim of the
conference was that the connotation of dialogue should be factual and should beyond the
past scenarios to come up with concrete solutions and to educate the younger generation
towards the importance of regional connectivity. Furthermore, the conference was sub
divided into two themes;
i. Briefings
o Presentation by Center of Excellence, China Pakistan Economic Corridor,
Government of Pakistan
o Presentation by Federal Ministry of Commerce, Islamabad
o Presentation by All Pakistan Business Forum (APBF)
o Presentation on Ease of Doing Business in Pakistan
ii. Agenda Points
o Pakistan: A successful model in the fight against terrorism
o Promotion of regional connectivity in terms of cooperation in trade, commerce
and development initiatives
o Promotion of art and culture among the member of SCO states
o Enhancement of Tourism and people to people contact among the SCO region
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Presentation by Centre of Excellence for CPEC
1. Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and CPEC Introduction
Initiated by President Xi Jinping in 2013
Termed as “Project of the Century”
6+1 BRI corridors connects (6 corridors & maritime silk road)
o Connecting 68 countries of Asia, Europe and Africa
o 3 billion people (65 percent of the world’s population) and 40 percent of Global
GDP
o More than 1 Trillion U.S. Dollars investment of China
“One Belt” is the Silk Road Economic Belt
“One Road” recreates 21st Century Maritime Silk Road
China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the pilot corridor/flagship project
initiated in 2013
Gwadar is at the junction of Belt and the Road
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1+4 Cooperation Portfolio of CPEC
CPEC Project Timelines
CPEC
Energy
Infra-structure
Gwadar
Industrial Cooperatio
n
2030
• Long Term Projects
2025
• Medium Term Projects
2020
• Short Term Projects
2017 -2018
• Early Harvest Projects
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CPEC Development Targets
o 1st Target (2020): Period of market cultivation, major bottlenecks to Pakistan’s
economic and social development shall be addressed to boost the economic
growth such as, Power, Road, rail/Urban Mass-Transit, Optical Fiber and
Gwadar Development Projects
o 2nd Target (2025): Period of expansion and development. Processing and
manufacturing industries will be developed, significant improvement, and all
the goals of vision 2025 achieved such as, Special Economic Zones (SEZs),
Socio-Economic Development
o 3rd Target (2030): Period of maturity. The endogenous mechanism for
sustainable economic growth will be in place, the CPEC ready to play leadership
role in the region such as, Wide-Range Economic Activities (Agriculture,
Tourism)
2. Pillars of CPEC Long Term Plan
Connectivity
Energy
Industries & Industrial Parks
Agricultural Development and Poverty Alleviation
Tourism
Cooperation in Areas concerning People's Livelihood and Non-governmentalExchanges
Financial Cooperation
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3. CPEC: A Gateway to Prosperity
Trade & Market Access
o China the second largest economy with 12.24 Trillion U.S. Dollars nominal GDP,
2.4 Trillion U.S. Dollars exports and 1.8 Trillion U.S. Dollars imports
o Pakistan’s export to China are 1.5 Billion U.S. Dollars and imports are 15.38
Billion U.S. Dollars
o Unilateral market access and priority quota allocation from China is needed to
balance bilateral trade
o FTA renegotiation
o The Case of NTBs
i. TBTs and SPS
ii. Cultural norms and values of the target market
Industrial Development and Global Value Chains
o Import substitution with China in the light engineering sector and consumer
products through relocation of Chinese industries to Pakistan
o Relocation of Chinese export focused light engineering and consumer labor
intensive industry to add exports
o Expansion of IT sector and E-Commerce through joint ventures
o Transfer of technology and capacity enhancement to increase productivity
o Joint development and management of SEZs under CPEC
Socio Economic Development and Poverty Reduction
o China has been able to take around 700 million out of poverty in merely 4
decades
o CPEC to create 1.2 million direct jobs and manifold indirect and induced ones
o Provision of platform for employment through introduction of national job
portal for CPEC
o Capacity development of skills via technical and vocational centers across the
country
o Community based projects in under developed areas
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Agriculture Modernization and Marketing
o Value addition and Co-branding of dairy, Livestock and poultry sectors to uplift
their contribution
o Productivity enhancement of fruits and high value crops through transfer of
technology in precision agriculture (Drip Irrigation, Sprinklers, etc.)
o Application of modified and high yield variety seeds for crops diversification to
substitute of 2 Billion U.S. Dollars of edible oil/pulses imports
Oil City Gwadar and Blue Economy
o Establishment of oil city Gwadar to substitute refined oil imports with crude oil
o Development of Aquaculture for fisheries and sea food along the coastal area
o Coastal Tourism
Regional Connectivity and Third Country Participation
o CPEC is connecting C/Asia, China, Pakistan, S/Asia, Africa
o Enormous connectivity and trade prospects between landlocked C/Asia and
West China, S/Asia, Middle East and Africa
o All the regional countries can invest in the corridor’s constructions for its
mutual utilization
4. Prioritized Special Economic Zones Under CPEC – Background
Agreed in 6th JCC meeting held in Beijing
Fast-Track industrial cooperation by additional incentives
Sites located along CPEC routes
Leverage local endowments
Facilities relocation of idle capacity from China
5. Location of 9 Prioritized Special Economic Zones
ICT SEZ
Rashakai Economic Zone KPK
Mohmand Marble City, FATA
Bostan Industrial Zone, Baluchistan
Maqpoondas SEZ, Gilgit Baltistan
Mirpur Industrial Zone, Azad Jammu Kashmir
Allama Iqbal SEZ, Faisalabad
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China SEZ, Dhabeji, Thatta
Jinnah SEZ, Karachi
6. Opportunities for Entrepreneurs/Business Community under CPEC
Prospective Roles
o CPEC – Generating Opportunities
o SMEs – Existing Economic Reality
o Entrepreneurs/Business Community-Agents to connect SMEs with CPEC
7. Stages of Development: Value Chain Perspective
Inputs Components Final ProductsDistribution,
Sourcing, Sales
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8. Sectoral Recommendations by Chinese Top Think Tanks/Experts
i. Key Enterprises to be Established Abroad by Chinese Companies are;
o Agricultural processing (organic)
o Pharma Industry (Chinese Herbal)
o Assembly Plants (Domestic Production)
o Renewable Energy Sol. Industry
o IT/High Tech/Innovation Parks
o Architecture Industry
o Theme Parks/Entertainment Industries
o Comp. Business Centers (CBC)/Hotels
ii. Light Manufacturing Labor Intensive Industry having 85 million jobs quantum
(and est. Export value of 1 Trillion U.S. Dollars) is Saturated in China and would
Relocate to regional Developing Countries including Pakistan because of low wages
and demographic dividend
9. Proposed Industrial Clusters for 3 Pilot SEZs under CPEC
Rashakai (1000 Acre) – Electrical Machinery/Equipment, Wooden Furniture,
Marble, Tobacco, Precious Stones
Faisalabad (3000 Acre) – Textile and Apparel, Footwear, Electric Fittings and
Toys, Plastic Derived Products, Leather, Paper and Pulp
Dhabeji (1000 Acres) – Metal Derived Industries, Renewable Energy, Rubber
Tyre, Silicon Raw
Natural & Synthetic
fiber
Yarn production
Fabric production
Apparel production
Intermediaries Lead firms
Trim (buttons, Zippers…)
Equipment &
Machinery
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Presentation by Ministry of Commerce
Shanghai Cooperation Organization is
one multilateral forum which is not
bound to itself and is collaborating
with other regional organizations
Long term goal of SCO is to form a
Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
Shanghai Cooperation Organization is
to harmonize tensions between
countries
Pakistan joined Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the year 2005 as observer
state and gained the status of full membership in the year 2017
Pakistan signed two agreements of trade services and trade facilitation with the
World Bank which comes under the task of Ministry of Commerce
Malaysia and China signed two agreements with Pakistan on trade and services
including Health, Information Technology, Tourism and Education Sector
Presentation of All Pakistan Business Forum (APBF)
1. Exploring New Avenues:
Connecting business leaders, Government sector organization, social organization,
media, chambers of commerce, trade association and all stake holders together for
common good
Aiming to organize business community and create new avenues within the
country and globally
Exploring potential areas of imports and exports to impact Pakistan’s global trade
2. Pakistan
Land of opportunities
Rich cultural heritage. Custodian of three oldest civilizations
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Four seasons, breathtaking landscapes, bustling cities and hospitable people
Epicenter of three of the world’s highest mountain ranges, Himalayas, Karakoram
and Hindukush
7 of the top 20 highest mountains are in Pakistan including K2 and Nangaparbat
5th largest population in the world
Youth comprises over 60 percent of the population
Strong banking network
Extensive communication infrastructure including, road networks, railways, air
and sea ports
World’s 39th largest economy
Major business sectors including, agriculture, industry/manufacturing, IT
services, Tourism
3. Why Pakistan
Ease of doing business
100 percent foreign equity
Tax flexibility on foreign
investments
Special Economic Zones
Industrial Estates
Over 1 Billion U.S. Dollars IT
exports
Skilled and Technical Human Resource
Easy Communication
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4. Pakistan’s Agriculture and Livestock (Global Ranking)
5. Ease of Doing Business
Expedited set up process
One-stop solution for business registration
Easy to use online taxation system
Tax relaxation for a certain period in SEZs
Minimum procedure, time and cost in setting up a company
Fast and cost effective logistics/freight forwarding
Easy access from Gwadar deep sea port and Karachi port to China and Central
Asian Countries
6. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
A 56 Billion U.S. Dollars investment in Pakistan’s infrastructure
35 Billion U.S. Dollars of which is to be spent on energy sector that will help
overcome increasing demand of power generation and facilitate industrial sector
CPEC will connect world’s largest deep sea port, Gwadar, with China and Central
Asia; and create new trade routes to Europe as well
CPEC projects are set to stimulate Pakistan’s economy and create millions of
employment opportunities
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7. Pakistan Economy at Glance
8. Pakistan’s Major Trading Partner’s
9. Lucrative Sectors
Agriculture (Cotton, Rice, Wheat)
Agricultural Equipment
IT Services Exports
Textile (Cotton, Silk, Yarn, Denim, Raw Fabric etc.)
Leather, Carpets
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Livestock & Dairy
Sports goods
Surgical Equipment
Seafood
Fruits & Vegetables
Cutlery
Food & Spices
Cement
Marble & Stones
Defense Equipment / Warfare
Tourism
10. Pakistan and SCO Countries – Bilateral Trade and Opportunities
i. Pakistan and Belarus
Pak Imports from Belarus 70.2
Pak Exports to Belarus 10.5
Trade Balance -59.7
Figures in USD millions
As of 2017
Source: World Bank, Trade Map
Lucrative Sector for Belarus
o Agriculture
o Agricultural Machinery and Equipment
o Textile
o Tourism
o Transportation
o IT Services
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ii. Pakistan and China
Pak Imports from China 15,383
Pak Exports to China 1,833
Trade Balance -13,550
Figures in USD millions
As of 2017
Source: World Bank, Trade Map
Lucrative Sector for China
o Agriculture
o Textile
o Tourism
o Transportation
o Energy
o Infrastructure
o Surgical Equipment
o Sports Goods
iii. Pakistan and Iran
Pak Imports from Iran 572.4
Pak Exports to Iran 161.9
Trade Balance -410.5
Figures in USD millions
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As of 2017
Source: World Bank, Trade Map
Lucrative Sectors for Iran
o Oil & Gas
o Agriculture
o Textile
o IT Services
o Tourism
o Fruits, Vegetables & Cereals
o Halal Meat
iv. Pakistan and Kazakhstan
Pak Imports from Kazakhstan 64.88
Pak Exports to Kazakhstan 0.78
Trade Balance 64.1
Figures in USD millions
As of 2017
Source: World Bank, Trade Map
Lucrative Sector for Kazakhstan
o Agriculture
o Textile
o Tourism
o Transportation
o Oil & Gas
o IT Services
o Defense Equipment / Warfare
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v. Pakistan and Kyrgyz Republic
Pak Imports from Kyrgyz Republic 0.118
Pak Exports to Kyrgyz Republic 4.32
Trade Balance 4.202
Figures in USD millions
As of 2017
Source: World Bank, Trade Map
Lucrative Sector for Kyrgyz Republic
o Agriculture
o Textile
o Tourism
o Transportation
o IT Services
o Defense Equipment / Warfare
vi. Pakistan and Mongolia
Pak Imports from Mongolia 0
Pak Exports to Mongolia 0.162
Trade Balance 0.162
Figures in USD millions
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As of 2017
Source: World Bank, Trade Map
Lucrative Sector for Mongolia
o Agriculture
o Textile
o IT Services
o Livestock & Dairy
o Metals
o Coal
o Wood / Furniture
vii. Pakistan and Russia
Pak Imports from Russia 261.02
Pak Exports to Russia 280.70
Trade Balance 19.68
Figures in USD millions
As of 2017
Source: World Bank, Trade Map
Lucrative Sector for Russia
o Textile
o Agriculture
o Tourism
o Petroleum
o Energy
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o Infrastructure
o IT Services
o Surgical Equipment
viii. Pakistan and Tajikistan
Pak Imports from Tajikistan 8.69
Pak Exports to Tajikistan 24.63
Trade Balance 15.94
Figures in USD millions
As of 2017
Source: World Bank, Trade Map
Lucrative Sector for Tajikistan
o Agriculture
o Textile
o Tourism
o Energy
o Livestock
o Surgical Equipment
o IT Services
o Defense Equipment / Warfare
ix. Pakistan and Uzbekistan
Pak Imports from Uzbekistan 2.94
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Pak Exports to Uzbekistan 3.93
Trade Balance 0.99
Figures in USD millions
As of 2017
Source: World Bank, Trade Map
Lucrative Sector for Uzbekistan
o Agriculture
o Textile
o Tourism
o Transportation
o Energy
o Defense Equipment / Warfare
o IT Services
Presentation by Mr. Zahid Latif – Director, Islamabad Stock Exchange
1. Ease of Doing Business in Pakistan
Pakistan has improved its position by climbing up 11 places in ease of doing
business.
The new position achieved is 136th in comparison with the last year ranking was
147th.
On the measure of absolute progress towards best practices, Pakistan has
improved the score to 52.8, which indicates that Pakistan has did some real
work in the timeframe of November 2017 to June 2018.
Of the 10 indices, Pakistan improved ranking on four and its position
deteriorated on the other four indicators whereas the ranking on the remaining
two remained unchanged.
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According to the World Bank report Pakistan has carried out three major
reforms during the past year. The indicated areas were:
o Starting A Business
o Registering Property
o Resolving Insolvency
According to the report progress was also seen on the following indicators;
o Getting Electricity
o Securing Construction Permits
o Getting Credit
o Paying Taxes
o Trading Across Borders
2. Improved Indicators for Starting a business
Pakistan improved its position on Starting a Business by 12 notches and gained
130th position out of 190 nations. The report shows that Pakistan has eased the
procedures and rules and regulations for starting a business.
Now there are 10 procedures and at least 17 days are required to start a
business.
Be noted that these procedures and regulations will help small and medium
enterprises on large scale.
3. Trading across borders
Pakistan has showed a big jump on the index and improved its position by 29
places, and stood at 142.
Documentation cost for exports fell from 257 U.S. Dollars to 118 U.S. Dollars
while the cost for border compliance also dipped from 406 U.S. Dollars to 356
U.S. Dollars.
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Documentary compliance imports has halved from 937 U.S. Dollars to 476 U.S.
Dollars and the cost of border compliance for imports decreased from 735 U.S.
Dollars to 250 U.S. Dollars.
The report suggests to build connectivity between relevant government agencies
through an automated system to further show progress.
4. Resolving insolvency
Pakistan has shown a high improvement of 29 ranks and gained 53rd position.
5. Indicators Deteriorated for paying taxes
Pakistan has lost one position on the indicator of tax collections and is standing
at 173rd position.
The major reasons included the delay in payment of tax refunds, multiple and
frequent audits of corporations.
According to the report, due to the large number of taxes, companies made 47 tax
payments every year, which consumed 293.5 hours.
Another major highlighted factor is that, despite the 30 percent corporate tax
rate, businesses are still paying 34.1 percent of their profits in taxes.
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On the other hand, as compared to the last year the time to pay taxes has been
reduced.
6. Getting credit
Pakistan lost 07 positions on the indicator of getting credit for businesses.
The ranking was declared poor due to nonexistence of a centralized database
of collaterals/securities.
In case of the default, the absence of centralized mechanism leads to the problem
of multiple charge on a single property and priority right of creditors.
As per the World Bank report, there is a dire need to set up a central collateral
registry, which is done even by Afghanistan.
Absence of Protection of lender’s rights.
7. Construction permits
Pakistan’s ranking significantly deteriorated by 25 places and stood at 166.
There are 19 types of procedures that require 263 days for an investor to get
a construction permit.
Instead of showing any improvement, the number of procedures and time
increased last year.
8. Indicators remained Unchanged
Pakistan’s ranking on the getting electricity index remained unchanged at 167.
The positive development recorded this years was that the number of days
required to get electricity connection were reduced from 215 to 185 in Karachi.
Lengthy procedure and non-transparency in tariffs: There were about
six kinds of procedures required to fulfill for getting a connection. Pakistan did
not make any progress on the issue of reliability of supply and transparency in
electricity tariffs.
9. Enforcing contracts
The position on the index was remain unchanged with 156th position.
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The report says that the total time duration required to enforce any contract was
1,071 days which costs of over 5000 U.S. Dollars.
Agenda Points of Discussions
1. Fight against Terrorism:
The discussion started by highlighting Pakistan’s role and efforts in the fight against
terrorism. Pakistan is the only country in the world which have lost more than 123 Billion
U.S. Dollars in the war on terror and more than 70,000 human lives. The nation stood
together and showed resilience, courage and bravery in the operation Zarb-e-Azb
launched by the Armed forces of Pakistan. However, Pakistan’s success in the hybrid
warfare could be measured through an indicator that there are no more hostile areas and
terror financing networks present in the country but still one such event can happen
occasionally anywhere in the world. Due to its geographic location and close proximity
with the Middle East and Afghanistan, Pakistan has remained the land of proxy warfare
for other countries.
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Furthermore, foreign dignitaries applauded the role of Pakistan in the fight against
terrorism and stressed to avoid forceful means and to adopt new peaceful strategies such
as, imbibing tolerance in society and educating the younger generation about the actual
meaning of Islam, which is religion of peace and is against the radicalization. However, it
is the government’s responsibility to tackle the socio-economic problems such as
unemployment which is the main contributing factor for the terrorist’s organizations.
There are successful models and awareness programs which can be adopted such as in
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan from 2012 onwards there are program of community
development which aims to educate the young people about the negative activities,
propaganda’s of terror organizations, procedures that how they operate and recruit, train
and change the minds of people to commit such heinous activities especially, about the
Islamic State organization (IS), which fascinates younger people by showing them dreams
of good life and other facilities. The speakers suggested that other than conventional
means we should also focus on following aspects to curb the menace of terrorism;
i. Creating Equity
ii. Socio-economic development
iii. To avoid the misuse of cyber space for terrorism
iv. Only leaders are appreciated and glorified to lead as an example
2. Promotion of Regional Connectivity in terms of cooperation in Trade,
Commerce and Development Initiatives
The speakers reiterated that Shanghai Cooperation Organization is one of the earliest
organization which adopted the concept of Anti-terrorism in its structure. China provided
the charter and designs to curb the menace of terrorism and also arranged sessions,
meetings to facilitate the SCO states. The successful model of intelligence information
exchange has been demonstrated by China and they have designed the
mechanism/systematic policy where all other countries can train themselves in the fight
against terrorism. In the sphere of trade cooperation and regional connectivity China has
adopted several methodologies to provide economic opportunities to all member states
by prioritizing energy, humanity and prosperity. The dignitaries further stressed that
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Shanghai Cooperation Organization is important platform and Pakistan becoming a full
member will bring more energy and fruit to the organization.
Pakistan due to its geostrategic location connects the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
with the world through road, sea and air. Since centuries Pakistan has been route for
traders. The speakers emphasized that there are opportunities in the sphere of regional
connectivity and cooperation if it is exploited to its maximum limit. However, Gwadar
and other outlets of the region are the hubs of connectivity. Pakistan is a peaceful nation
with fast growing economy but unfortunately remained victim of national and
international propaganda’s. The panelists suggested that we should voice our concerns to
the world and present the real image of Pakistan and is ready to facilitate in the promotion
of regional connectivity with the best host to our guests.
3. Promotion of Art, Culture among the member of SCO states
The speakers emphasized upon to set a criteria in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
platform to mutually improve the current system to work effectively for restoring peace
and prosperity in the region. Media is a powerful tool in 21st century which plays an active
role in the promotion of art, culture and peace across the globe. SCO states jointly chalk
out strategy to have its own media to present the actual picture. The panelists stressed
upon cultural exchange programs to be initiated at fast pace between member states to
know each other in all aspects for connectivity through a proper mechanism for exchange
such as, educational programs, fellowships, scholarships, tourism, research and
development and scientific-technical spheres. Furthermore, SCO is not only for one
country, the other states should also come forward to contribute actively and should set
the ideology which should be followed by every member states rather to have own
reservations or observations. It is now pertinent to come out of the historic approach that
is being centric to only one country because SCO is a finest platform for all states with
linkages to reach and reconnect with each other via development, humanitarian
assistance, infrastructure, energy, trade and commerce and cultural exchange.
Uzbekistan is the first country which has set the example by translating and promoting
Pakistani dramas in their country, to enhance relations between two countries.
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4. Enhancement of Tourism and people to people contact among the SCO
region
SCO’s primary objectives are based on encouraging cooperation between the member
states to ensure stability in the region, aiming at strengthening military and economic
assistance and promoting mutual trust and collaboration in diplomacy, trade and social
sector. Tourism is playing an intrinsic part in the changing global and local culture and is
one of the emerging economic sectors. In SCO tourism is the untapped sector and will be
beneficial in the promotion of people to people contact and promotion of regional peace
and prosperity. To promote cultural ties, SCO member states should ease their visa
regimes and provide opportunities to visitors from other countries.
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Picture Gallery of the Roundtable Session
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