SCO must lead push for UNSC reform, says Indian FM Jaishankar

Tariq Butt, Correspondent / Agencies

India on Wednesday used the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting in Pakistan to reiterate its demand for urgent reforms in the UN Security Council (UNSC) so that it could keep pace with the changing world order.

Addressing the meeting in Islamabad, Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar said there was a strong case for “reformed multilateralism” and the SCO must take the lead in advocating such change without holding back a matter of such importance.

He said the UNSC needs to reinvent itself to make it more representative, inclusive, transparent, efficient, effective, democratic and accountable.

“Comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council, both in the permanent and non-permanent categories, is essential. I remind you that we recognised in July 2024 at Astana that the credibility and effectiveness of the UN is dependent on ensuring the representation of developing countries through comprehensive reform,” said Jaishankar.

Jaishankar also highlighted India’s global initiatives and national endeavours that are relevant to the SCO.

Jaishankar, in his speech at the meeting, congratulated Pakistan on the presidency of the SCO’s Heads of Government Council and extended India’s “full support” to Islamabad, according a transcript shared by India’s foreign ministry. He said India supported regional cooperation but added that mutual respect as well as territorial integrity and sovereignty were essential.

“If activities across borders are characterised by terrorism, extremism and separatism, they are hardly likely to encourage trade, energy flows, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges in parallel,” he said in his speech.

Later on Wednesday, Jaishankar left Pakistan after attending the SCO summit. Before his departure, Jaishankar expressed his gratitude to the Pakistani government for their “splendid hospitality” in a message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I thank the Government of Pakistan for the warm hospitality,” Jaishankar wrote, extending further appreciation to PM Shehbaz for his graciousness during the event.

The first visit to Islamabad by a top Indian diplomat in nearly 10 years was an “ice breaker,” Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said, as regional heads of governments gathered for SCO summit.

India has been pushing for a permanent seat in the UNSC but has not been successful due to objections by certain existing members.

Earlier, leaders and top officials from an international group founded to counter Western alliances met in Pakistan’s capital and called for enhanced cooperation in areas including security, trade, and health. They also called for boosting people-to-people contact and minimising the impacts of climate change.

The meeting of the SCO was held amid tight security in Islamabad, and attended by leaders including Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and the prime ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Mongolia.

The federal capital was virtually locked down as Pakistan deployed extra police and troops to ensure security, making it difficult even for ambulances to get around.

In his remarks at the meeting, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for expanding China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CEPC), focusing on roads, railways, and digital infrastructure. Shehbaz also called for a peaceful Afghanistan, and said its soil should not be used for violence against any country.

“From the esteemed platform of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a beacon of multilateralism, I stand in the belief that we possess not only the potential but the will to forge a future that is more prosperous and secure for our people,” Shehbaz said.

“A future that is inclusive, and reflective of the shared aspirations of all member states,” the prime minister said and also noted that the regional powers were at a historic moment of transition where sweeping transformations were reshaping the global, social, political, economic, and security landscape.”