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International Organizations & Relations

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International Organizations & Relations

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International Organizations & Relations — Key Facts for SPSC (Sindh)

  • Pakistan is a founding member of the UN (1945), SAARC (1985), and ECO (1985)
  • UN Security Council — Pakistan served as non-permanent member multiple times (1952, 1956, 1976, 1992, 2004, 2023–24)
  • Pakistan’s foreign policy based on: Islamic identity, regional stability, strategic non-alignment
  • CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) is the flagship of Pakistan’s economic diplomacy
  • ⚡ Exam tip: Pakistan’s memberships, key summits, and bilateral relations with major powers are frequently tested in SPSC

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International Organizations & Relations — SPSC (Sindh) Study Guide

Pakistan and the United Nations (UN)

Membership and History

  • Pakistan was a founding member of the UN (24 October 1945)
  • 28th largest financial contributor to the UN regular budget
  • Contributed significantly to UN Peacekeeping missions — among top 10 contributing countries historically

UN Security Council (UNSC) Membership

TermKey Context
1952–53First term; Korean War context
1956–57Suez Crisis
1976–77Bangladesh Liberation War context
1992–93Post-Cold War; Yugoslavia crisis
2023–24Most recent term

Pakistan’s UN Positions

  • Kashmir dispute: Pakistan consistently raises Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly (Article 36, UNMOGIP references)
  • Palestine: Pakistan supports Palestinian cause; supports two-state solution
  • Climate change: Pakistan highlighted as a “climate vulnerable” country; COP28 participation
  • Counter-terrorism: Pakistan advocates for addressing root causes of terrorism; has faced scrutiny from some Western nations

Specialized Agencies Pakistan Engages With

  • UNDP: development assistance, poverty reduction
  • UNICEF: child health and vaccination programs
  • UNHCR: Afghan refugee management (Pakistan hosts 2+ million Afghan refugees — one of largest populations)
  • UN Women: gender equality programs

SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation)

Formation

  • Founded: 8 December 1985 (Dacca/Dhaka Declaration)
  • Members: Afghanistan (admitted 2007), Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
  • Observer states: Australia, China, EU, Japan, South Korea, USA

Pakistan’s Role in SAARC

  • Founding member (1985)
  • Summit hosting: 2nd SAARC Summit (1986) in Islamabad
  • SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA) (1993): aimed at reducing trade barriers among members
  • SAARC Agreement on Trade in Services (2010)

Why SAARC Has Struggled

  • India-Pakistan tensions have paralyzed the organization
  • 2016: India cancelled the 19th SAARC Summit (should have been in Pakistan) after Uri attack
  • No summit held since 2014 (Kathmandu); SAARC is effectively stalled

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

Formation

  • Founded: 2001 (Shanghai Declaration) — originally as Shanghai Five (China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan)
  • 2017: India and Pakistan admitted as full members (permanent members became China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan)
  • Headquarters: Beijing

Pakistan’s Role in SCO

  • Full member since June 2017 (Astana Summit)
  • SCO is a key platform for Pakistan’s engagement with Central Asia and China
  • Pakistan benefits from CSTC (Shanghai Convention on Counter-Terrorism) mechanisms
  • CPEC and SCO connectivity projects align

Key SCO Summits

SummitLocationYear
AstanaKazakhstan2017 (India/Pakistan admitted)
QingdaoChina2018
BishkekKyrgyzstan2019
MoscowRussia (virtual)2020
DushanbeTajikistan2021
SamarkandUzbekistan2022
New DelhiIndia (virtual)2023

Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)

Formation

  • Founded: 1985 (Tehran Declaration) — successor to ECO (Regional Cooperation for Development)
  • Members (10): Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan
  • Observers: Afghanistan (not admitted as full member), Turkic states, ECO Secretary-General

Pakistan’s Role in ECO

  • Founding member — ECO was established in Islamabad
  • Transport and Transit Corridor: Pakistan-Turkey Trans-Aral route; ECO Railway
  • Trade and Investment: ECO Trade Agreement (1995)
  • Energy: CASA-1000 (Central Asia–South Asia electricity export project) — significant ECO energy initiative

CASA-1000 Project

  • Export electricity from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Afghanistan and Pakistan
  • 1,000 MW transmission capacity
  • Major infrastructure for energy trade in Central-South Asia

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

Formation

  • Founded: 25 September 1969 ( Rabat, Morocco) — first summit of Islamic heads of state
  • 57 member states + Palestine (observer)
  • Secretariat: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Pakistan’s Role in OIC

  • Founding member; key role in OIC’s formation
  • Islamic Summit: Pakistan hosted the 4th OIC Summit in Lahore (1974)
  • Pakistan-Iran-Turkey bloc: used OIC platform for collective security discussions
  • OIC Observer Court on Kashmir: multiple resolutions passed on Kashmir

Kashmir at OIC

  • OIC passed multiple resolutions (1970s, 1990s, 2000s) supporting Kashmiri right to self-determination
  • OIC Human Rights Commission has reported on Kashmir rights violations
  • India maintains that Kashmir is an bilateral issue and opposes OIC involvement

Pakistan’s Key Bilateral Relationships

Pakistan–China (All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership)

  • 1950: Pakistan was one of the first countries to recognize the People’s Republic of China
  • 1966: Karakoram Highway construction began (opened 1978)
  • 2015: Xi Jinping visited Pakistan; upgraded to “All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership”
  • CPEC (~$62 billion): flagship project; part of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
  • Mutual support at UN on core issues (Uyghur for China; Kashmir for Pakistan)

Pakistan–USA

  • 1954: Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement
  • 1959: SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization) membership
  • Cold War alliance: US support during Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (1979–89)
  • Post-9/11: major non-NATO ally; intelligence cooperation
  • 2011–2018: US drone strikes in FATA; tensions over CIA’s reliance on Pakistani intelligence
  • 2022 onwards: no significant diplomatic breakthroughs

Pakistan–India

  • Disputed: Kashmir, water (Indus Waters Treaty — actually held up relatively well), trade
  • Wars: 1947–48, 1965, 1971
  • 1971 War: Bangladesh created; Pakistan lost East Pakistan
  • Kashmir: insurgency from 1989; human rights concerns
  • ** Indus Waters Treaty (1957)**: internationally recognized but increasingly contentious
  • No significant diplomatic thaw through 2023–24

Pakistan–Russia

  • Post-Soviet: relationship improved significantly after 1991
  • 2016: Russia expressed interest in joining CPEC
  • Military cooperation: Russia has supplied military equipment (Mi-35 helicopters)
  • Energy: interest in Turkmenistan–Pakistan gas pipeline (TAPI)

SPSC Exam Focus Points

  • Pakistan is a founding member of UN (1945), SAARC (1985), ECO (1985)
  • UNSC non-permanent member multiple times — know the 2023–24 term
  • OIC founding conference: Rabat, Morocco, 1969
  • CASA-1000 is an important Central Asia–South Asia energy project through ECO
  • CPEC is China’s flagship BRI project in Pakistan; $62 billion estimate

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