Overview
- Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar led Pakistan’s delegation at the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers in Cholpon‑Ata, speaking at the meeting held July 23–24 to advance Islamabad’s regional agenda.
- Dar urged SCO members to pressure the Afghan Taliban to honor counterterrorism commitments and cited militant groups such as the TTP, BLA and ETIM operating from Afghan soil as a direct threat to regional security and to Pakistani civilians.
- On the sidelines Dar met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other counterparts to call for building on the June Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and to coordinate diplomacy after Pakistan hosted US‑Iran talks.
- Dar held bilateral talks with ministers from China, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to press for faster delivery on trade, energy and connectivity projects and reconfirmed Pakistan’s readiness to assume the SCO chair in September 2026 and host the 2027 leaders’ summit.
- Pakistan’s push combines its role chairing SCO‑RATS and recent mediation gains to try to translate diplomatic breakthroughs into security action and concrete economic links, a move that could increase regional pressure on the Taliban and boost trade access for Pakistan and Central Asia.