ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tajikistan today, Dar’s ministry said on Monday, with discussions expected to focus on boosting regional trade and strengthening regional connectivity.

Pakistan has been seeking to strengthen economic links with Central Asia by improving transport and transit routes and expanding access to regional markets through its seaports. Islamabad and Dushanbe have also agreed on a three-year roadmap to increase bilateral trade to $200 million, alongside efforts to advance cooperation in energy, agriculture and transport. The CASA-1000 electricity transmission project, which aims to deliver electricity from Central Asia to South Asia, is another key area of cooperation.

Dar will be visiting Dushanbe, Tajikistan to attend the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting on Oct. 19-20. The summit will also be attended by the prime ministers of Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the Vice President of Iran and the External Affairs Minister of India.

“The CHG is the second-highest decision-making institution of the SCO, which provides guidance in the areas of economy, finance, trade, connectivity, commerce, socio-economic cooperation and the budgetary matters of the Organization,” the Pakistani ministry said.

“The CHG will also adopt a Joint Communiqué, statements and important decisions.”

Dar will also call on the president and prime minister of Tajikistan and hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from SCO member states on the sidelines of the CHG meeting.

The SCO was founded in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Pakistan and India became full members in 2017, Iran joined in 2023 and Belarus became the bloc’s 10th member in 2024.

In Sept., Pakistan took over the 2026-27 chairmanship at an SCO leaders’ summit in Bishkek and will oversee the organization’s program until it hosts the next Council of Heads of State summit in Islamabad next year.