Pakistan becomes full member of SCO

Pakistan becomes the full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation today in Kazakhstan capital Astana. Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev welcomed Pakistan as full member of SCO. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is in Kazakhstan to attend the summit. Prime Minister addressed the summit and said that

"As leaders, we should leave a legacy of peace and amity for our future generations, not a toxic harvest of conflict and animosity. Instead of talking about counter-weights and containment, let us create shared spaces for all,"Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, addressing the summit, said, "The SCO goals resonate with Pakistan's national ethos, and so do the core values of the Shanghai spirit and the SCO charter with our own quest for peaceful neighbourhood."

Pakistan, which has been an observer at the SCO since 2005, applied for a permanent membership in 2010. The decision to grant Pakistan membership was made by the SCO Heads of States in a meeting held in Ufa, Russia, in 2015. Founded in 2001, the SCO is comprised of six member states, mainly focusing on military cooperation between the members which involves intelligence sharing and counter-terrorism operations in Central Asia.

India has also become full member of SCO. China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan  and Tajikistan already members of this organisation.