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KABUL – Despite Afghanistan’s membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Taliban have not been invited to participate in its meetings, as detailed in a recent analysis by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). The exclusion stems from internal disagreements among SCO members, particularly between Pakistan and India, regarding how to engage with the Taliban.
Carla Freeman, a USIP expert, highlighted the focus on Afghan stability during last week’s SCO foreign ministers’ meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan. She pointed to the March attack on Chinese engineers in northern Pakistan, possibly orchestrated from Afghanistan, as a sign of the nation’s potential to harbor violent extremist groups.
Freeman noted Pakistan’s call for the SCO to revive its Contact Group for Afghanistan, aiming to foster cooperation on security and humanitarian issues. She emphasized Pakistan’s criticism of the Taliban’s insufficient efforts against terrorist groups.
“Although Afghanistan holds observer status at the SCO, the Taliban-led government has not been invited to SCO meetings,” Freeman said. “During the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting, Wang Yi called for greater dialogue between SCO states and Afghanistan, alongside improved coordination within the organization on regional security.”
Meanwhile, Bates Gill of the National Bureau of Asian Research indicated that Iran is “highly likely” to become a full SCO member, potentially as early as the state leaders’ summit in July. He suggested that Afghanistan and Mongolia may soon follow as full members.
This development follows a United Nations Security Council report, which identified approximately 20 terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The report highlighted that al-Qaeda has established training camps and sanctuaries, while Daesh continues to pose a significant threat to the region.
