Asian rivals India and Pakistan on Friday formally joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a security bloc spearheaded by China and Russia, despite bilateral tensions bubbling over Kashmir.
Leaders of the largely symbolic body, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping, formally signed off on the sub-continent duo’s accession at the annual SCO summit in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian counterpart Narendra Modi reportedly shook hands and exchanged greetings late Thursday at the opening of the SCO meeting, although New Delhi said that no formal bilateral meeting between the two was planned.
But both Moscow and Beijing expressed optimism that the two neighbours’ entry into the SCO could strengthen prospects for peace across the region.
Founded in 1996, the SCO is viewed as a vehicle for managing competing Chinese and Russia political, economic and military interests in the strategic region.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
