Why will Afghanistan not attend upcoming SCO summit in Islamabad

Afghanistan will not participate in the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of Government meeting, according to diplomatic sources. The SCO Secretariat did not extend an invitation to Afghanistan for the event, which is scheduled to take place in Pakistan’s federal capital from October 15 to 17.

Diplomatic sources emphasized that Pakistan, as the current chair of the SCO, did not obstruct Afghanistan's participation. However, Afghanistan remains an observer state within the SCO, and its membership has been inactive since September 2021, following the fall of the previous Afghan government.

Afghanistan became an SCO observer on June 7, 2012, during the rule of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The current ruling authority, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, has not recognized the agreements and obligations undertaken by the previous government under the SCO-Afghanistan agreement.

Diplomatic sources explained that the Islamic Emirate has rejected most clauses of the agreement and does not consider the commitments made by the previous regime binding.

"There is a need for the Islamic Emirate to acknowledge the commitments, responsibilities, and duties outlined in the SCO-Afghanistan agreement," sources stated, but added that the current Afghan government has yet to accept several of these obligations.

This year, only Mongolia—another SCO observer—was invited to the Heads of Government meeting. Dialogue partners of the SCO were also excluded from this session. Under Article 16 of the SCO Charter, invitations to non-member or observer states require consensus among the member countries.

SCO observers and dialogue partners, including Afghanistan, are not allowed to participate in discussions, finalize documents, or sign agreements during the SCO meetings, diplomatic sources confirmed.

The exclusion of Afghanistan from the meeting highlights the ongoing complexities in its relationship with the international community, particularly within multilateral organizations like the SCO.

What is SCO?

The SCO, initially established by China and Russia, now includes ten permanent members.

The founding members, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, were later joined by Pakistan and India in June 2017.

Currently, three countries hold observer status and 14 are dialogue partners, together representing about 40% of the global population and approximately 32% of the world’s GDP. Iran and Belarus were the latest additions in 2023 and 2024.

The organization’s goals include promoting regional peace, enhancing economic and technological cooperation, and encouraging good neighborly relations. A meeting of the SCO’s Ministers of Trade and Economic Affairs will be held on September 10-11, preceding the summit.

Summit guests and diplomatic dynamics

High-level delegations from member countries, including Russia and China, are confirmed to attend the SCO summit in Islamabad. The Russian and Chinese prime ministers are scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on October 14. India’s Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will also participate, marking the first Indian foreign minister to visit Pakistan since 2015.

The summit will focus primarily on economic cooperation, aligning with the SCO's principles of not addressing bilateral disputes during formal sessions. Despite this, informal meetings may still take place, provided they are pre-arranged.

The transition of the SCO presidency from Pakistan to Russia will be a key element of the summit, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif delivering opening remarks.