POLITICS & POLICY MAKING

Afghanistan will not participate in the upcoming summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), scheduled to be held in Islamabad on October 15-16. According to diplomatic sources, the country was not invited to the meeting, and while Pakistan, the current chair of the SCO, did not obstruct its participation, Afghanistan remains an inactive observer state.
Afghanistan has held the status of an SCO observer since June 7, 2012, but has not actively participated in the organization since September 2021. The previous government did not recognize the SCO's agreements, leading to its current inactive status.
The sources highlighted that for Afghanistan to regain active participation, it would need to recognize the SCO-Afghan agreement. Currently, Afghanistan and Mongolia are the only two observer countries within the SCO, but Mongolia is the sole observer member invited to the upcoming summit. Dialogue partners, including Afghanistan, have also not been invited.
The SCO summit will bring together around 200 delegations, including heads of state from various countries, marking a significant diplomatic event in the region.