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Published in April, 2019

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1

Brief of the Event

Center for Global and Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad organized a Roundtable

Discussion Session on “Shanghai Cooperation Organization: Future Prospects and

Regional Connectivity”, on 13th March, 2019 at the Islamabad Club, Islamabad.

The panelists shared their valuable inputs and emphasized that Shanghai Cooperation

Organization is a pivotal organization to promote closer ties in the region. The diverse

nature of cooperation exists within SCO and Pakistan has a lot to offer to the SCO region.

The agenda points of the discussion were the promotion of regional connectivity in terms

of cooperation in trade, commerce, development initiatives, promotion of art and culture

among the SCO member states, enhancement of tourism and people to people contact in

the SCO region. The foreign dignitaries appreciated the efforts of Pakistan in the peace,

stability and progress of the region and vowed to further enhance bilateral and

multilateral cooperation through initiatives in various fields.

Around 90 people attended the Roundtable session including diplomats, foreign policy

experts and members of the Center for Global and Strategic Studies Advisory Board.

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Participants

The Roundtable had the participation of the Head of the Think Tanks/Representatives of

the SCO Member and Observer States including China, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia,

Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Iran and members of the Center for Global and Strategic

Studies Advisory Board. Approximately 100 participants attended the session. The list of

speakers is as follows:

Host: Major General Syed Khalid Amir Jaffery, HI (M), (Retd), President – Center for

Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS)

Moderator: Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Taimur Akram, (Retd) – Executive Director,

Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS)

Speakers:

1. Professor Sun Zhuangzhi – Secretary General of Center for Shanghai Cooperation

Organization Study, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China

2. Dr. Leonid Gusev – Expert, Moscow State Institute of International Relations,

Moscow, Russia

3. Mr. Bakhtiyor Mustafayev – Head of the Institute for Strategic and Regional

Studies (ISRS) under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent,

Uzbekistan

4. Mr. Seitzhan Apyshev – Advisor to Director, National Institute for Strategic

Studies of the Kyrgyz Republic (NISS KR), Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic

5. Professor Elena Dostanko – Head, Academic Affairs Unit, Belarusian State

University, Minsk, Belarus

6. Mr. Seyed Majid Ghafelehbashi – Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Political and

International Studies (IPIS), Tehran, Iran

7. Mr. Bohodur Buriev – First Secretary, Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan

8. Major General Hafiz Masroor Ahmed, (Retd) – Vice President, CGSS

9. Lieutenant General Naeem Khalid Lodhi, HI (M), (Retd) - Former Federal

Minister of Defence

10. Mr. Ashfaq Ahmed Gondal – Senior Member Advisory Board, CGSS

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11. Mr. Naveed Safdar Bukhari – Director General SCO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

Government of Pakistan

12. Mr. Kanwar Dilshad – Former Secretary, Election Commission of Pakistan

13. Brigadier Akhtar Nawaz Janjua (Retd) – Member Advisory Board, CGSS

14. Mr. Agha Iqrar – Editor, Dispatch News Desk

15. Ms. Hina Gul – Deputy Director, Ministry of Commerce, Government of Pakistan

16. Mr. Maaz Mahmood – President, All Pakistan Business Forum

17. Mr. Shakeel Ahmed Ramay – Executive Director, Zalmi Foundation

18. Mr. Ahsan Abbas – Research Fellow, Center of Excellence CPEC

19. Mr. Abdullah Hamid Gul – Director, Measac Research Institute

20. Mr. Zahid Latif – Director, Islamabad Stock Exchange

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Roundtable Discussion

The session started by highlighting the agenda of ‘Shanghai Cooperation

Organization: Future Prospects and Regional Connectivity’ and focused on the

importance of strengthening relations between the member states, safeguard regional

peace, security and stability, to

promote cooperation in

different spheres such as,

political affairs, trade,

educational and cultural

exchange programs, scientific-

technical spheres and as well

as in energy, transportation

and environmental protection

by initiating more realistic

steps. The aim of the

conference was that the connotation of dialogue should be factual and should beyond the

past scenarios to come up with concrete solutions and to educate the younger generation

towards the importance of regional connectivity. Furthermore, the conference was sub

divided into two themes;

i. Briefings

o Presentation by Center of Excellence, China Pakistan Economic Corridor,

Government of Pakistan

o Presentation by Federal Ministry of Commerce, Islamabad

o Presentation by All Pakistan Business Forum (APBF)

o Presentation on Ease of Doing Business in Pakistan

ii. Agenda Points

o Pakistan: A successful model in the fight against terrorism

o Promotion of regional connectivity in terms of cooperation in trade, commerce

and development initiatives

o Promotion of art and culture among the member of SCO states

o Enhancement of Tourism and people to people contact among the SCO region

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Presentation by Centre of Excellence for CPEC

1. Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and CPEC Introduction

Initiated by President Xi Jinping in 2013

Termed as “Project of the Century”

6+1 BRI corridors connects (6 corridors & maritime silk road)

o Connecting 68 countries of Asia, Europe and Africa

o 3 billion people (65 percent of the world’s population) and 40 percent of Global

GDP

o More than 1 Trillion U.S. Dollars investment of China

“One Belt” is the Silk Road Economic Belt

“One Road” recreates 21st Century Maritime Silk Road

China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the pilot corridor/flagship project

initiated in 2013

Gwadar is at the junction of Belt and the Road

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1+4 Cooperation Portfolio of CPEC

CPEC Project Timelines

CPEC

Energy

Infra-structure

Gwadar

Industrial Cooperatio

n

2030

• Long Term Projects

2025

• Medium Term Projects

2020

• Short Term Projects

2017 -2018

• Early Harvest Projects

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CPEC Development Targets

o 1st Target (2020): Period of market cultivation, major bottlenecks to Pakistan’s

economic and social development shall be addressed to boost the economic

growth such as, Power, Road, rail/Urban Mass-Transit, Optical Fiber and

Gwadar Development Projects

o 2nd Target (2025): Period of expansion and development. Processing and

manufacturing industries will be developed, significant improvement, and all

the goals of vision 2025 achieved such as, Special Economic Zones (SEZs),

Socio-Economic Development

o 3rd Target (2030): Period of maturity. The endogenous mechanism for

sustainable economic growth will be in place, the CPEC ready to play leadership

role in the region such as, Wide-Range Economic Activities (Agriculture,

Tourism)

2. Pillars of CPEC Long Term Plan

Connectivity

Energy

Industries & Industrial Parks

Agricultural Development and Poverty Alleviation

Tourism

Cooperation in Areas concerning People's Livelihood and Non-governmentalExchanges

Financial Cooperation

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3. CPEC: A Gateway to Prosperity

Trade & Market Access

o China the second largest economy with 12.24 Trillion U.S. Dollars nominal GDP,

2.4 Trillion U.S. Dollars exports and 1.8 Trillion U.S. Dollars imports

o Pakistan’s export to China are 1.5 Billion U.S. Dollars and imports are 15.38

Billion U.S. Dollars

o Unilateral market access and priority quota allocation from China is needed to

balance bilateral trade

o FTA renegotiation

o The Case of NTBs

i. TBTs and SPS

ii. Cultural norms and values of the target market

Industrial Development and Global Value Chains

o Import substitution with China in the light engineering sector and consumer

products through relocation of Chinese industries to Pakistan

o Relocation of Chinese export focused light engineering and consumer labor

intensive industry to add exports

o Expansion of IT sector and E-Commerce through joint ventures

o Transfer of technology and capacity enhancement to increase productivity

o Joint development and management of SEZs under CPEC

Socio Economic Development and Poverty Reduction

o China has been able to take around 700 million out of poverty in merely 4

decades

o CPEC to create 1.2 million direct jobs and manifold indirect and induced ones

o Provision of platform for employment through introduction of national job

portal for CPEC

o Capacity development of skills via technical and vocational centers across the

country

o Community based projects in under developed areas

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Agriculture Modernization and Marketing

o Value addition and Co-branding of dairy, Livestock and poultry sectors to uplift

their contribution

o Productivity enhancement of fruits and high value crops through transfer of

technology in precision agriculture (Drip Irrigation, Sprinklers, etc.)

o Application of modified and high yield variety seeds for crops diversification to

substitute of 2 Billion U.S. Dollars of edible oil/pulses imports

Oil City Gwadar and Blue Economy

o Establishment of oil city Gwadar to substitute refined oil imports with crude oil

o Development of Aquaculture for fisheries and sea food along the coastal area

o Coastal Tourism

Regional Connectivity and Third Country Participation

o CPEC is connecting C/Asia, China, Pakistan, S/Asia, Africa

o Enormous connectivity and trade prospects between landlocked C/Asia and

West China, S/Asia, Middle East and Africa

o All the regional countries can invest in the corridor’s constructions for its

mutual utilization

4. Prioritized Special Economic Zones Under CPEC – Background

Agreed in 6th JCC meeting held in Beijing

Fast-Track industrial cooperation by additional incentives

Sites located along CPEC routes

Leverage local endowments

Facilities relocation of idle capacity from China

5. Location of 9 Prioritized Special Economic Zones

ICT SEZ

Rashakai Economic Zone KPK

Mohmand Marble City, FATA

Bostan Industrial Zone, Baluchistan

Maqpoondas SEZ, Gilgit Baltistan

Mirpur Industrial Zone, Azad Jammu Kashmir

Allama Iqbal SEZ, Faisalabad

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China SEZ, Dhabeji, Thatta

Jinnah SEZ, Karachi

6. Opportunities for Entrepreneurs/Business Community under CPEC

Prospective Roles

o CPEC – Generating Opportunities

o SMEs – Existing Economic Reality

o Entrepreneurs/Business Community-Agents to connect SMEs with CPEC

7. Stages of Development: Value Chain Perspective

Inputs Components Final ProductsDistribution,

Sourcing, Sales

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8. Sectoral Recommendations by Chinese Top Think Tanks/Experts

i. Key Enterprises to be Established Abroad by Chinese Companies are;

o Agricultural processing (organic)

o Pharma Industry (Chinese Herbal)

o Assembly Plants (Domestic Production)

o Renewable Energy Sol. Industry

o IT/High Tech/Innovation Parks

o Architecture Industry

o Theme Parks/Entertainment Industries

o Comp. Business Centers (CBC)/Hotels

ii. Light Manufacturing Labor Intensive Industry having 85 million jobs quantum

(and est. Export value of 1 Trillion U.S. Dollars) is Saturated in China and would

Relocate to regional Developing Countries including Pakistan because of low wages

and demographic dividend

9. Proposed Industrial Clusters for 3 Pilot SEZs under CPEC

Rashakai (1000 Acre) – Electrical Machinery/Equipment, Wooden Furniture,

Marble, Tobacco, Precious Stones

Faisalabad (3000 Acre) – Textile and Apparel, Footwear, Electric Fittings and

Toys, Plastic Derived Products, Leather, Paper and Pulp

Dhabeji (1000 Acres) – Metal Derived Industries, Renewable Energy, Rubber

Tyre, Silicon Raw

Natural & Synthetic

fiber

Yarn production

Fabric production

Apparel production

Intermediaries Lead firms

Trim (buttons, Zippers…)

Equipment &

Machinery

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Presentation by Ministry of Commerce

Shanghai Cooperation Organization is

one multilateral forum which is not

bound to itself and is collaborating

with other regional organizations

Long term goal of SCO is to form a

Free Trade Agreement (FTA)

Shanghai Cooperation Organization is

to harmonize tensions between

countries

Pakistan joined Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the year 2005 as observer

state and gained the status of full membership in the year 2017

Pakistan signed two agreements of trade services and trade facilitation with the

World Bank which comes under the task of Ministry of Commerce

Malaysia and China signed two agreements with Pakistan on trade and services

including Health, Information Technology, Tourism and Education Sector

Presentation of All Pakistan Business Forum (APBF)

1. Exploring New Avenues:

Connecting business leaders, Government sector organization, social organization,

media, chambers of commerce, trade association and all stake holders together for

common good

Aiming to organize business community and create new avenues within the

country and globally

Exploring potential areas of imports and exports to impact Pakistan’s global trade

2. Pakistan

Land of opportunities

Rich cultural heritage. Custodian of three oldest civilizations

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Four seasons, breathtaking landscapes, bustling cities and hospitable people

Epicenter of three of the world’s highest mountain ranges, Himalayas, Karakoram

and Hindukush

7 of the top 20 highest mountains are in Pakistan including K2 and Nangaparbat

5th largest population in the world

Youth comprises over 60 percent of the population

Strong banking network

Extensive communication infrastructure including, road networks, railways, air

and sea ports

World’s 39th largest economy

Major business sectors including, agriculture, industry/manufacturing, IT

services, Tourism

3. Why Pakistan

Ease of doing business

100 percent foreign equity

Tax flexibility on foreign

investments

Special Economic Zones

Industrial Estates

Over 1 Billion U.S. Dollars IT

exports

Skilled and Technical Human Resource

Easy Communication

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4. Pakistan’s Agriculture and Livestock (Global Ranking)

5. Ease of Doing Business

Expedited set up process

One-stop solution for business registration

Easy to use online taxation system

Tax relaxation for a certain period in SEZs

Minimum procedure, time and cost in setting up a company

Fast and cost effective logistics/freight forwarding

Easy access from Gwadar deep sea port and Karachi port to China and Central

Asian Countries

6. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

A 56 Billion U.S. Dollars investment in Pakistan’s infrastructure

35 Billion U.S. Dollars of which is to be spent on energy sector that will help

overcome increasing demand of power generation and facilitate industrial sector

CPEC will connect world’s largest deep sea port, Gwadar, with China and Central

Asia; and create new trade routes to Europe as well

CPEC projects are set to stimulate Pakistan’s economy and create millions of

employment opportunities

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7. Pakistan Economy at Glance

8. Pakistan’s Major Trading Partner’s

9. Lucrative Sectors

Agriculture (Cotton, Rice, Wheat)

Agricultural Equipment

IT Services Exports

Textile (Cotton, Silk, Yarn, Denim, Raw Fabric etc.)

Leather, Carpets

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Livestock & Dairy

Sports goods

Surgical Equipment

Seafood

Fruits & Vegetables

Cutlery

Food & Spices

Cement

Marble & Stones

Defense Equipment / Warfare

Tourism

10. Pakistan and SCO Countries – Bilateral Trade and Opportunities

i. Pakistan and Belarus

Pak Imports from Belarus 70.2

Pak Exports to Belarus 10.5

Trade Balance -59.7

Figures in USD millions

As of 2017

Source: World Bank, Trade Map

Lucrative Sector for Belarus

o Agriculture

o Agricultural Machinery and Equipment

o Textile

o Tourism

o Transportation

o IT Services

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ii. Pakistan and China

Pak Imports from China 15,383

Pak Exports to China 1,833

Trade Balance -13,550


As of 2017


Lucrative Sector for China

o Agriculture

o Textile

o Tourism

o Transportation

o Energy

o Infrastructure

o Surgical Equipment

o Sports Goods

iii. Pakistan and Iran

Pak Imports from Iran 572.4

Pak Exports to Iran 161.9

Trade Balance -410.5


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As of 2017


Lucrative Sectors for Iran

o Oil & Gas

o Agriculture

o Textile

o IT Services

o Tourism

o Fruits, Vegetables & Cereals

o Halal Meat

iv. Pakistan and Kazakhstan

Pak Imports from Kazakhstan 64.88

Pak Exports to Kazakhstan 0.78

Trade Balance 64.1


As of 2017


Lucrative Sector for Kazakhstan

o Agriculture

o Textile

o Tourism

o Transportation

o Oil & Gas

o IT Services

o Defense Equipment / Warfare

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v. Pakistan and Kyrgyz Republic

Pak Imports from Kyrgyz Republic 0.118

Pak Exports to Kyrgyz Republic 4.32

Trade Balance 4.202


As of 2017


Lucrative Sector for Kyrgyz Republic

o Agriculture

o Textile

o Tourism

o Transportation

o IT Services


vi. Pakistan and Mongolia

Pak Imports from Mongolia 0

Pak Exports to Mongolia 0.162

Trade Balance 0.162


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As of 2017


Lucrative Sector for Mongolia

o Agriculture

o Textile

o IT Services

o Livestock & Dairy

o Metals

o Coal

o Wood / Furniture

vii. Pakistan and Russia

Pak Imports from Russia 261.02

Pak Exports to Russia 280.70

Trade Balance 19.68


As of 2017


Lucrative Sector for Russia

o Textile

o Agriculture

o Tourism

o Petroleum

o Energy

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o Infrastructure

o IT Services


viii. Pakistan and Tajikistan

Pak Imports from Tajikistan 8.69

Pak Exports to Tajikistan 24.63

Trade Balance 15.94


As of 2017


Lucrative Sector for Tajikistan

o Agriculture

o Textile

o Tourism

o Energy

o Livestock


o IT Services


ix. Pakistan and Uzbekistan

Pak Imports from Uzbekistan 2.94

22

Pak Exports to Uzbekistan 3.93

Trade Balance 0.99


As of 2017


Lucrative Sector for Uzbekistan

o Agriculture

o Textile

o Tourism

o Transportation

o Energy


o IT Services

Presentation by Mr. Zahid Latif – Director, Islamabad Stock Exchange

1. Ease of Doing Business in Pakistan

Pakistan has improved its position by climbing up 11 places in ease of doing

business.

The new position achieved is 136th in comparison with the last year ranking was

147th.

On the measure of absolute progress towards best practices, Pakistan has

improved the score to 52.8, which indicates that Pakistan has did some real

work in the timeframe of November 2017 to June 2018.

Of the 10 indices, Pakistan improved ranking on four and its position

deteriorated on the other four indicators whereas the ranking on the remaining

two remained unchanged.

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According to the World Bank report Pakistan has carried out three major

reforms during the past year. The indicated areas were:

o Starting A Business

o Registering Property

o Resolving Insolvency

According to the report progress was also seen on the following indicators;

o Getting Electricity

o Securing Construction Permits

o Getting Credit

o Paying Taxes

o Trading Across Borders

2. Improved Indicators for Starting a business

Pakistan improved its position on Starting a Business by 12 notches and gained

130th position out of 190 nations. The report shows that Pakistan has eased the

procedures and rules and regulations for starting a business.

Now there are 10 procedures and at least 17 days are required to start a

business.

Be noted that these procedures and regulations will help small and medium

enterprises on large scale.

3. Trading across borders

Pakistan has showed a big jump on the index and improved its position by 29

places, and stood at 142.

Documentation cost for exports fell from 257 U.S. Dollars to 118 U.S. Dollars

while the cost for border compliance also dipped from 406 U.S. Dollars to 356

U.S. Dollars.

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Documentary compliance imports has halved from 937 U.S. Dollars to 476 U.S.

Dollars and the cost of border compliance for imports decreased from 735 U.S.

Dollars to 250 U.S. Dollars.

The report suggests to build connectivity between relevant government agencies

through an automated system to further show progress.

4. Resolving insolvency

Pakistan has shown a high improvement of 29 ranks and gained 53rd position.

5. Indicators Deteriorated for paying taxes

Pakistan has lost one position on the indicator of tax collections and is standing

at 173rd position.

The major reasons included the delay in payment of tax refunds, multiple and

frequent audits of corporations.

According to the report, due to the large number of taxes, companies made 47 tax

payments every year, which consumed 293.5 hours.

Another major highlighted factor is that, despite the 30 percent corporate tax

rate, businesses are still paying 34.1 percent of their profits in taxes.

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On the other hand, as compared to the last year the time to pay taxes has been

reduced.

6. Getting credit

Pakistan lost 07 positions on the indicator of getting credit for businesses.

The ranking was declared poor due to nonexistence of a centralized database

of collaterals/securities.

In case of the default, the absence of centralized mechanism leads to the problem

of multiple charge on a single property and priority right of creditors.

As per the World Bank report, there is a dire need to set up a central collateral

registry, which is done even by Afghanistan.

Absence of Protection of lender’s rights.

7. Construction permits

Pakistan’s ranking significantly deteriorated by 25 places and stood at 166.

There are 19 types of procedures that require 263 days for an investor to get

a construction permit.

Instead of showing any improvement, the number of procedures and time

increased last year.

8. Indicators remained Unchanged

Pakistan’s ranking on the getting electricity index remained unchanged at 167.

The positive development recorded this years was that the number of days

required to get electricity connection were reduced from 215 to 185 in Karachi.

Lengthy procedure and non-transparency in tariffs: There were about

six kinds of procedures required to fulfill for getting a connection. Pakistan did

not make any progress on the issue of reliability of supply and transparency in

electricity tariffs.

9. Enforcing contracts

The position on the index was remain unchanged with 156th position.

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The report says that the total time duration required to enforce any contract was

1,071 days which costs of over 5000 U.S. Dollars.

Agenda Points of Discussions

1. Fight against Terrorism:

The discussion started by highlighting Pakistan’s role and efforts in the fight against

terrorism. Pakistan is the only country in the world which have lost more than 123 Billion

U.S. Dollars in the war on terror and more than 70,000 human lives. The nation stood

together and showed resilience, courage and bravery in the operation Zarb-e-Azb

launched by the Armed forces of Pakistan. However, Pakistan’s success in the hybrid

warfare could be measured through an indicator that there are no more hostile areas and

terror financing networks present in the country but still one such event can happen

occasionally anywhere in the world. Due to its geographic location and close proximity

with the Middle East and Afghanistan, Pakistan has remained the land of proxy warfare

for other countries.

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Furthermore, foreign dignitaries applauded the role of Pakistan in the fight against

terrorism and stressed to avoid forceful means and to adopt new peaceful strategies such

as, imbibing tolerance in society and educating the younger generation about the actual

meaning of Islam, which is religion of peace and is against the radicalization. However, it

is the government’s responsibility to tackle the socio-economic problems such as

unemployment which is the main contributing factor for the terrorist’s organizations.

There are successful models and awareness programs which can be adopted such as in

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan from 2012 onwards there are program of community

development which aims to educate the young people about the negative activities,

propaganda’s of terror organizations, procedures that how they operate and recruit, train

and change the minds of people to commit such heinous activities especially, about the

Islamic State organization (IS), which fascinates younger people by showing them dreams

of good life and other facilities. The speakers suggested that other than conventional

means we should also focus on following aspects to curb the menace of terrorism;

i. Creating Equity

ii. Socio-economic development

iii. To avoid the misuse of cyber space for terrorism

iv. Only leaders are appreciated and glorified to lead as an example

2. Promotion of Regional Connectivity in terms of cooperation in Trade,

Commerce and Development Initiatives

The speakers reiterated that Shanghai Cooperation Organization is one of the earliest

organization which adopted the concept of Anti-terrorism in its structure. China provided

the charter and designs to curb the menace of terrorism and also arranged sessions,

meetings to facilitate the SCO states. The successful model of intelligence information

exchange has been demonstrated by China and they have designed the

mechanism/systematic policy where all other countries can train themselves in the fight

against terrorism. In the sphere of trade cooperation and regional connectivity China has

adopted several methodologies to provide economic opportunities to all member states

by prioritizing energy, humanity and prosperity. The dignitaries further stressed that

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Shanghai Cooperation Organization is important platform and Pakistan becoming a full

member will bring more energy and fruit to the organization.

Pakistan due to its geostrategic location connects the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

with the world through road, sea and air. Since centuries Pakistan has been route for

traders. The speakers emphasized that there are opportunities in the sphere of regional

connectivity and cooperation if it is exploited to its maximum limit. However, Gwadar

and other outlets of the region are the hubs of connectivity. Pakistan is a peaceful nation

with fast growing economy but unfortunately remained victim of national and

international propaganda’s. The panelists suggested that we should voice our concerns to

the world and present the real image of Pakistan and is ready to facilitate in the promotion

of regional connectivity with the best host to our guests.

3. Promotion of Art, Culture among the member of SCO states

The speakers emphasized upon to set a criteria in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

platform to mutually improve the current system to work effectively for restoring peace

and prosperity in the region. Media is a powerful tool in 21st century which plays an active

role in the promotion of art, culture and peace across the globe. SCO states jointly chalk

out strategy to have its own media to present the actual picture. The panelists stressed

upon cultural exchange programs to be initiated at fast pace between member states to

know each other in all aspects for connectivity through a proper mechanism for exchange

such as, educational programs, fellowships, scholarships, tourism, research and

development and scientific-technical spheres. Furthermore, SCO is not only for one

country, the other states should also come forward to contribute actively and should set

the ideology which should be followed by every member states rather to have own

reservations or observations. It is now pertinent to come out of the historic approach that

is being centric to only one country because SCO is a finest platform for all states with

linkages to reach and reconnect with each other via development, humanitarian

assistance, infrastructure, energy, trade and commerce and cultural exchange.

Uzbekistan is the first country which has set the example by translating and promoting

Pakistani dramas in their country, to enhance relations between two countries.

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4. Enhancement of Tourism and people to people contact among the SCO

region

SCO’s primary objectives are based on encouraging cooperation between the member

states to ensure stability in the region, aiming at strengthening military and economic

assistance and promoting mutual trust and collaboration in diplomacy, trade and social

sector. Tourism is playing an intrinsic part in the changing global and local culture and is

one of the emerging economic sectors. In SCO tourism is the untapped sector and will be

beneficial in the promotion of people to people contact and promotion of regional peace

and prosperity. To promote cultural ties, SCO member states should ease their visa

regimes and provide opportunities to visitors from other countries.

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Picture Gallery of the Roundtable Session

“cgss is a€¦ · center for global and strategic studies (cgss), islamabad organized a...

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