DUSHANBE: Prime Minister Imran Khan said during SCO that the priority was to “prevent a humanitarian crisis and an economic meltdown in Afghanistan. We must remember that the previous government depended heavily on foreign aid and its removal could lead to economic collapse.”

Prime Minister Imran Khan proposed a five-point way forward on the SCO:

“One, we must reaffirm our complete support for effective multilateralism and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including equality and sovereignty of states, respect for territorial integrity, non-aggression, non-use or threat of force, and peoples right for self-determination.

“Two, we must strengthen our collective endeavours to mitigate the adverse economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, including through the SCO Joint Advisory measures.

“Three, we must chart out a coordinated SCO approach towards stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan including through enhanced engagement to address our common concerns and safeguard our shared interests, steps to provide humanitarian support and ensure economic stability, and measures to enable Afghanistan to become a reliable partner in peace and prosperity.

“Four, we must advance the agenda of regional connectivity. In this regard, taking the process forward, Pakistan would like to host a conference on the theme Transport Connectivity for Regional Prosperity in a virtual mode in 2022.

“Five, we must, recognizing the immense potential of our youth, explore all possible avenues for their increased interface and empowerment. Pakistan would like to host a conference on Youth Empowerment through Digital Economy in 2022.”

Khan asserted the Taliban should create an “inclusive political structure” representing of all ethnic groups, and prevent Afghan soil from being used for international militancy.

Calling upon the regional countries to resist any drift towards bloc politics, Mr Khan stressed pursuing the approach of peaceful coexistence. “Peaceful coexistence and cooperation not confrontation, should be the main drivers of global politics,” he said.

The prime minister said addressing the threats to international and regional peace and security was a vital interest for SCO. He said the fight against terror would not be won if such threats and challenges were ignored, with state-terrorism being the biggest one, perpetrated against people living under foreign occupation in disputed territories.

In some cases, such extremist and bigoted ideologies have ascended to capture the state power in so-called democracies, he said.

Mr Khan said the SCO cumulatively represented 44 per cent of the world population, 25pc of global landmass, and 20pc of the global GDP. Impressive progress had been made in strengthening SCO’s normative and institutional basis, and in developing practical cooperation on SCOs twin planks of security and socio-economic development, he said.