ISLAMABAD – Afghanistan will not participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit as Pakistan has not invited it due to being inactive for several years.
Pakistan is set to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of Government summit on October 15 and 16 in capital city of Islamabad.
Afghanistan is not a member of the SCO but it holds the status of an observer state. Reports said Afghanistan became an SCO observer on June 7, 2012, but has been inactive since September 2021.
Furthermore, Afghanistan, where Taliban are currently in power, has not recognised many of the provisions of the SCO-Afghan agreement. It is essential for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to recognise the SCO agreement.
Afghanistan and Mongolia are the two observer states in SCO. As SCO chair, Pakistan has invited Mongolia to attend the event.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit will take place on October 15 and 16 in Islamabad, with leaders from various countries and around 200 delegations expected to participate.
