Afghanistan on the agenda as Pakistani PM arrives in Tajikistan for SCO summit

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday arrived in Tajikistan to attend the 20th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Heads of State (SCO-CHS) summit in Dushanbe, the Pakistani foreign office said, with Afghanistan expected to be on the agenda of bilateral and summit-level discussions.
This will be the third visit of the Pakistani prime minister to Central Asia, aimed at underlining Pakistan’s enhanced engagement with the region. He previously attended the SCO-CHS summits in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, in June 2019 and another hosted by Russia through video conference in November 2020. 
The prime minister is scheduled to have bilateral meetings with other participating leaders on the sidelines and discuss trade and economic ties, as well as the developing situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the region. 
“His talks with [the] Tajik president will cover the entire gamut of bilateral relations, especially enhancing trade, economic and investment ties with a particular focus on regional connectivity,” the foreign office said in a statement. “The two countries have earlier expressed strong commitment to enter into a formal strategic partnership.” 

PM Khan, who will be accompanied by a high-level ministerial delegation, will inaugurate the first meeting of the Pakistan-Tajikistan Business Forum, for which a group of Pakistani businesspersons are also traveling to Dushanbe.
“The Joint Business Forum will catalyze growing trade and investment relations, and promote business-to-business contacts between trading communities of both sides,” the statement read. “A meeting of Pakistan-Tajikistan Joint Business Council will also be held on the sidelines.” 
The foreign office said the visit was part of Pakistan’s deepened engagement with Central Asia and focus on political ties, trade and investment, energy and connectivity, security and defense, and people-to-people contact. 
SCO, an eight-member permanent inter-governmental trans-regional organization, was established in Shanghai in June 2001. Pakistan became an SCO observer in 2005 and a full member in June 2017. Other members include Russia, China, India, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan. 
The organization has four observer states, Iran, Mongolia, Belarus and Afghanistan, and six dialogue partners, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka.