BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, September 1. Pakistan will
focus on information technology and AI, energy, development and
poverty reduction, disaster management, healthcare, culture and
sports during its chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO), Trend’s special correspondent reports.


Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif announced this while
addressing the SCO Plus meeting in Bishkek. “We will be guided by
the conviction that the SCO must deliver tangible results for its
peoples over the next year. We will prioritize IT and artificial
intelligence, energy, development and poverty reduction, disaster
management, healthcare, culture and sports,” Sharif said.


He noted the growing interest in the SCO, which, according to
him, demonstrates the organization’s influence and importance as a
key regional forum. Addressing the international situation, the
Prime Minister of Pakistan said the world is going through a period
of unprecedented turbulence and transformation. According to him,
Pakistan views the emergence of a multipolar world as an
opportunity to build a fairer, democratic and equitable
international system.


Sharif also called for reform of the United Nations. “Today, the
UN is in urgent need of reform. It must become more accountable and
more responsive,” he said.


Addressing the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,
the Prime Minister of Pakistan called on the international
community to take decisive action to end the suffering of the
Palestinian people and ensure their inalienable right to
self-determination. Sharif also addressed water resources,
stressing their strategic importance for the region. “Water is the
source of life for our region, sustaining millions of lives,
nourishing our lands and securing the future of our future
generations. It must never be used as a weapon or an instrument of
political pressure,” he said.







The Prime Minister of Pakistan also described terrorism as a
common threat to the SCO member states and other countries
represented in the SCO Plus format. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s
commitment to jointly combating terrorism, separatism and religious
extremism within the framework of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist
Structure. “Pakistan will continue to courageously confront
terrorism and will defeat this scourge. More than 90,000 lives and
$150 billion in economic losses — this is the price our country has
paid in the fight against terrorism not only for itself, but for
the whole world,” Sharif said.


According to him, terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,
including state terrorism, must be condemned clearly and
unequivocally. Sharif also stated that terrorist groups using
Afghan territory to launch attacks against Pakistan and other
neighboring countries must be effectively stopped.


In conclusion, the Prime Minister of Pakistan reaffirmed the
country’s commitment to realizing the potential of the SCO and
called on the organization’s member states and partners to support
these efforts. He also invited participants of the SCO Plus meeting
to Islamabad for the next meeting in this format in 2027.