Pakistan respects all international, bilateral treaties, expect same from SCO members: PM Shehbaz

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that Pakistan respected all international and bilateral treaties and expected similar principles to be followed by all Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) members.

Addressing the SCO summit in China today, the PM thanked President Xi and his government for the warm hospitality and excellent arrangements for the SCO gathering.

He also extended his felicitations to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan on their national days today and on Sunday, respectively.

Meanwhile, t he PM said that Pakistan had always believed in the power of multilateralism, dialogue and diplomacy, and shunning unilateralism.

“And yet, to our shock and deep disappointment, the region witnessed extremely disturbing developments during the last few months.”

“Pakistan supports and respects the sovereignty and integrity of all SCO members and its neighbours,” he added.

Meanwhile, in an apparent reference to fellow SCO member India and its unilateral move to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance in May, the PM said that uninterrupted access to due share of water as per existing treaties among SCO members “will strengthen the SCO working smoothly and will support the achievement of broader goals for which the SCO was established”.

Moreover, the PM called for a “comprehensive and structural dialogue to discuss all outstanding disputes”.

“I will request your consideration to lead this dialogue under your sagacious leadership so that they can have its dividends as early as possible.”

Meanwhile, the PM condemned Israel’s deadly attacks on Iran this year and its “heart-wrenching bloodshed in Gaza”.

“Israel’s unjustified aggression against our fellow brotherly member country Iran, a fellow SCO state, is condemnable and therefore unacceptable,” the prime minister said.

“We reiterate our call for an immediate end to gruesome violence and heart-wrenching bloodshed in Gaza,” the PM said.

He added that Pakistan has consistently supported the UN-mandated two-state solution, which meant the creation of an independent state of Palestine with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.