SCO Comes to Islamabad: Pakistan’s Chairmanship and Regional Implications

The first working session of Council of Heads of State 2026-2027, of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) under Pakistan’s chairmanship has begun in Islamabad from September 28 to 30, 2026. As per the Foreign Office the meeting will cover cooperation, coordination, and preparation of the future events under Islamabad’s chairmanship. The theme of this SCO Summit is, “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity.”

This is the first step towards August 2027 when Pakistan will host the full SCO Summit. The Capital Development Authority will invite bids to upgrade the Jinnah Convention Centre to this effect, while pushing hotels towards international standards before the influx of delegations arrive.

Pakistan assumed the chairmanship at the 26th SCO summit which took place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on September 1, 2026. On this occasion Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif proposed prioritising IT and AI, energy, poverty reduction, disaster management, health, culture and sports.

What is the SCO?

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization initially started as “Shanghai Five” comprising of members like China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. It was formally established in the year 2001, with Uzebkistan joining as the founding member.

India and Pakistan joined as full members in 2017, Iran thereafter, joined in 2023, and Belarus in 2024. Thereby, taking the number of members upto ten, covering 40% of the world population. The core objective of the SCO include:

• Strengthening mutual trust among members.
• Promoting cooperation in politics, trade, security and culture.
• Jointly countering terrorism, separatism and extremism. The “three evils” organisation meant to confront.

Recent Summits 

The last five annual summits trace the SCO’s expanding footprint:

• Samarkand, Uzbekistan (2022)
• New Delhi, India (2023)
• Astana, Kazakhstan (2024)
• Tianjin, China (2025). The largest gathering in the organisation’s history.
• Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (2026)
• SCO’s 25th anniversary. Islamabad will host the 27th summit in 2027.

SCO’s Achievements

Organization’s clearest success has been institutional survival and expansion. Started with just six members now it has ten, with a growing list of observers and dialogue partners. The Anti-Terrorist Structure of the SCO has already enabled intelligence sharing among the Central Asian States, who faced the menace of terrorism and cross-border militancy. Initiatives to improve trade and connectivity in addition to joint military exercises have given the bloc a cogent substance to formulate better ties, extending beyond declarations.

However, the major achievements of SCO are limited. SCO has not been able to resolve the disputes between the member countries like India-Pakistan, or India-China. These issues have existed simultaneously despite the organizational efforts to build trust among them. SCO also lacks:

• Shared currency mechanism.
• Unified trade framework.
• Binding enforcement powers.

Why Progress Has Been Limited

Three structural reasons stand out.

• The SCO operates by consensus, meaning any member can block a decision, which favours lowest-common-denominator outcomes.
• Member states often carry bilateral rivalries into the room — India rarely aligns with Pakistan or China on security language, complicating joint statements.
• The SCO overlaps with other groupings — the CSTO, BRICS, and China’s own Belt and Road framework — diluting its distinct institutional identity and giving members reason to hedge rather than fully invest.

Expanding SCO’s Influence

Expanding SCO’s influence and role in regional matters would require enforceable protocols, the summits and declarations are not going to be enough. These protocols could encompass various fields such as trade facilitation, digital connectivity standards, and counterterrorism data-sharing.

SCO has discussed the establishment of a permanent development fund however, that promise has not been materialized, if it is done it could provide the bloc with financial teeth. Promoting people-to-people and youth exchange programs could expand SCO’s influence and strengthen the relations between the member countries. Moreover, Islamabad’s initiative should also be under focus i.e., expanding IT and AI cooperation. It could build constituencies for the SCO beyond foreign ministries.

Pakistan’s Role

Pakistan is chairing the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, it assumed the chairmanship in September 2025 and hosted the 12th meeting of Heads of Border Services in July. Lahore has also been designated as SCO’s Tourism and Cultural Capital. These roles are significant but largely administrative. It provides Islamabad with an opportunity to shift from from being a passive participant to actively setting the agenda. Pakistan can use its 2026-27 term to push concrete connectivity projects, position itself as a bridge between Central and South Asia, and translate its counterterrorism credibility into a leadership role on SCO-RATS cooperation.

Islamabad’s Gains

If Islamabad can capitalize on the chairmanship opportunity it has been presented with it can expand its diplomatic visibility. This opportunity has presented itself when Pakistan needs it for deeper economic engagement with Central Asian and Chinese markets. It is a platform to advance regional connectivity ambitions tied to CPEC. Hosting the 2027 summit brings tangible infrastructure upgrades to Islamabad and a chance to reset the country’s international image around institution-building rather than crisis management.

Conclusion

The SCO remains a work in progress, expansive in membership, cautious in ambition. Pakistan’s chairmanship arrives at a moment when the organisation needs exactly what Islamabad is promising: a push from vision to action. Whether that promise survives contact with the SCO’s consensus-bound structure will become clear well before delegates arrive in Islamabad for the 2027 summit.

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