Answer: 

Introduction:

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization founded in 2001 with the objective of political, economic and security cooperation between the member nations. India became a permanent member of the SCO in 2017.

Body:

• Aims and Objectives of SCO:
  • Strengthening Relations: The primary aim of the SCO is to deepen political, security, and economic cooperation among its member states.
  • Confronting Threats: The organization strives for joint cooperation between the members to confront threats emanating from terrorism, extremism, and separatism. The Regional Anti-Terror Structure (RATS) of the SCO aims to develop a coordinated response to these threats.
  • Democratic and Equitable International Political Order: The SCO aims to move towards developing a democratic and equitable international political order, that is non-aligned, non-confrontational, and non-targeted against other countries and regions.
  • Maintaining Regional Peace and Stability: The SCO aims to ensure joint efforts in maintaining peace, security, and stability in the region, particularly in Central Asia.
  • Deepening Engagements: The organization seeks to deepen engagements in the fields of trade, transport, tourism, environment, cultural linkages, education, research, and technology.
• Critical Examination of SCO’s Aims and Objectives:
  • Diverging Interests: India-Pakistan-Russia-China relations create a complex matrix of diverging and conflicting interests. For example, different interests in the Taliban-Afghanistan issue.
  • China’s Disrespect for International Order: China has shown little respect for the international rule-based order. Its “cheque-book” and “wolf warrior” diplomacy, human rights violations, and actions in Hong Kong raise serious questions about its commitments to the aims and objectives of SCO.
  • BRI Project: Under the disguise of economic cooperation, China has pushed its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects through the SCO, raising concerns about debt-trap diplomacy and regional power plays.
  • Support for Terrorist Organizations: Pakistan and China are known to have supported terrorist and separatist organizations, raising questions about the effectiveness of the RATS mechanism.
  • Destabilizing the Region: China, Russia (in the Ukraine issue), and Pakistan (in Jammu and Kashmir) are accused of destabilizing regional peace, security, and stability.
  • Lack of Broad-based Engagement: Limited developmental cooperation between SCO countries during COVID-19 waves shows a lack of broad-based engagement.
• Importance of SCO for India:
  • Strategic Reach in Central Asia: SCO allows India to deepen its strategic reach in Central Asia, where it already has substantial soft power potential through Buddhist linkages and Bollywood movies.
  • Boosting Energy Security: India’s membership of SCO can boost energy security by providing access to mineral and energy resources of the Central Asian countries.
  • Platform to Discuss Bilateral Issues: SCO can provide a platform to discuss bilateral issues with Pakistan and China.
  • Combating Terrorism and Extremism: The SCO can play a pivotal role in combating terrorism, extremism, and radicalization, and the Dushanbe declaration aims towards regional stability.
  • Boosting Connectivity: India’s presence in the SCO will help in linking itself to the larger Eurasian region and Europe via the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), thus boosting connectivity in the region.
  • Deepening People-to-People Engagement: SCO can play an important role in deepening people-to-people engagement through cooperation in the field of education, medicine, tourism, etc.3

Conclusion:

The SCO holds significant importance for India as it provides a platform for India to deepen its strategic reach in Central Asia, boost energy security, and become a major pan-Asian player. However, India’s benefits from the SCO are limited due to the role of China and Pakistan in the organization. Positive outcomes will depend on how Indian diplomacy deals with its rivals, and India’s SECURE strategy should be adopted to make the SCO more effective in regional growth and stability.