Pakistan can be a mile stone for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)  was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan when all head of states signed declaration of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on June 15, 2001. Initially these countries stood united to counter terrorism, extremism and to strengthen the security of their countries, but with the passage of time they extended their cooperation in other fields as well.

Today their aims and objectives expanded to include increased military cooperation, intelligence sharing, and counter terrorism. They also ensured the economic cooperation between these countries and established a free trade area for each other. Economic sector was strengthened when they laid the stone of interbank for the industrial development. Consumption of their natural resources and cultural cooperation was also focused as aims and objectives.

Four countries are included as observer countries which are India, Iran, Magnolia and Pakistan, whereas guest attendants are ASEAN, CIS and Turkmenistan. These all countries represent more than seventy percent of the world’s population and practically their collaboration can bring development and prosperity in many sectors of these countries. 

SCO included observer countries with view to see their interest and beneficial phases that can strengthen the SCO and meet the aims and need of SCO. Let’s talk about the permanent or full membership of Pakistan in SCO, Pakistan can be beneficial for SCO in several ways as today Pakistan is supposed to be most important country in regard to counter terror and extremism. Pakistan can contribute in trade for these Central Asian countries as they are land locked countries.

Central Asian countries in SCO are rich in natural resources of oil and gas. Let’s talk about Kazakhstan; it has an abundant supply of accessible mineral and fossil fuel resources. According to some estimates, Kazakhstan has at least thirty one billion barrel oil and two hundred and forty eight trillion cubic ft gas reserves. Whereas alongside Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan also rich with hundreds of trillion cubic ft gas reserves are present.

There are currently three pipelines for the transportation of these resources. First is crude oil pipeline from the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli oil field in the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. Second pipeline transport Caspian oil from Tengiz field to the Novorossiysk-2 Marine Terminal on Russia's Black Sea coast. Third pipeline starts in Saman-Depe carrying natural gas from Turkmenistan. The pipeline crosses the Kazakhstan–China border at Khorgos.The existing pipelines are only capable of getting a small fraction of the area's oil and gas wealth to market. Central Asian republics are anxious to sell more oil. Americans, Europeans, and Russians are anxious to buy more, especially from countries that do not belong to OPEC. Investors from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are also anxious to begin transporting more oil out of Central Asia. Only secure pipelines are lacking.

Pakistan can open new ways in the transpiration of these resources to other parts of the world in more economical basis and can be beneficial to both Central Asian countries and Pakistan. A route of pipelines can be laid from Kazakhstan to Turkmenistan and can enter Harrat in Afghanistan and can run to the Arabian Sea through Chaman, Baluchistan. This route can also benefit china to meet the needs of energy.

The most important aspect for Pakistan is that, these pipelines will also bring construction of Highways and Pakistan will be capable to strengthen the industries and investments in the country. These pipelines can be proven as gates to the prosperity and development in the country. These are the aspects which support the full membership of Pakistan in SCO.