India’s strategic importance within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is expected to come under renewed focus as the 10-member Eurasian bloc prepares for its 2026 summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, with terrorism, cybercrime, infrastructure connectivity and economic cooperation among the key issues on the agenda.
A political scientist and former Director of Research at the Department of Political Science, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, Professor Mohammed Badrul Alam, said India’s proactive engagement with the SCO had strengthened its visibility and influence in Eurasia despite the organisation’s internal contradictions and geopolitical challenges.
The 2026 SCO Heads of State summit is scheduled for August 31 and September 1 in Bishkek under Kyrgyzstan’s chairmanship. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the meeting, which will mark the 25th anniversary of the organisation under the theme, “25 years of the SCO: Together Towards Sustainable Peace, Development and Prosperity.”
According to Alam, the SCO, which began as the “Shanghai Five” comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in 1996, was formally established in 2001 with the admission of Uzbekistan.
India and Pakistan joined the organisation in 2017, followed by Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024, bringing the grouping to 10 members.
He noted that the SCO now accounts for about 25 per cent of the world’s land area, 45 per cent of the global population, approximately 23 per cent of global nominal GDP and about 36 per cent of global GDP measured by purchasing power parity.
Alam said the 2025 SCO summit in Tianjin, China, had laid the groundwork for deeper institutional reforms through the SCO Development Strategy to 2035, with emphasis on modernising the organisation, improving its legal framework and making its activities more project-oriented.
He said the 2025 summit also placed considerable emphasis on combating terrorism, separatism and extremism, as well as human, weapons and drug trafficking, intelligence sharing and joint security operations.
The 2026 Bishkek summit is expected to build on those commitments with proposals including the establishment of an International Centre for Combating Organised Crime, stronger cooperation against cybercrime and digital threats, and enhanced measures against terrorism, separatism and extremism.
Another major proposal is the creation of an SCO Development Bank as part of efforts to establish a more independent financial architecture for the organisation.
Alam identified transport connectivity as another major focus of the Bishkek summit, particularly the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project.
The more than 500-kilometre railway, estimated at about $4.7 billion, is designed to connect China with Central Asia through the Torugart Pass and Jalal-Abad to Andijan in Uzbekistan.
He said Kyrgyzstan was also pursuing new logistics and cargo routes to improve the transit potential of SCO member states, including a proposed corridor linking Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Russia through the Caspian Sea.
On India’s role, Alam said New Delhi had used its membership since 2017 to push for stronger counter-terrorism frameworks, including the principles of “zero tolerance” and “no double standards” in combating terrorism.
He said India had also advocated greater cultural and people-to-people exchanges through initiatives such as a proposed Civilizational Dialogue Forum, promotion of Buddhist heritage and cultural festivals.
According to him, the proposed SCO Start-Up and Innovation Corridor could help broaden the organisation’s economic agenda beyond traditional energy and trade while creating opportunities for young people and knowledge-based economic cooperation.
He added that India could further use the SCO to advance cooperation in energy security, counter-narcotics, regional stability, environmental sustainability and clean technology.
However, Alam identified limited connectivity, border tensions and competing geopolitical interests as major obstacles to the effectiveness of the organisation.
He said India remained concerned about the strategic implications of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, while its proposed International North-South Transport Corridor linking India with Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe had yet to achieve its full potential because of geographical, political and bureaucratic challenges.
He also pointed to the stalled Iran-Pakistan-India and Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline projects as examples of the difficulties confronting regional connectivity and energy cooperation.
The political scientist said disagreements over Afghanistan also continued to limit the SCO’s ability to develop a unified regional strategy, with India maintaining its position in favour of an “Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled” peace process.
Alam further noted that India’s economic engagement with Central Asia remained relatively small compared with China’s.
He said India’s trade with the Central Asian region accounted for less than 0.5 per cent of its total trade, estimated at about $2 billion, compared with China’s roughly $100 billion trade with the region.
He said India also faced a delicate diplomatic balancing act because of its strategic relationship with Russia, growing competition with China and its participation in Western-led groupings such as the Quad, I2U2 and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.
According to him, these competing alignments could complicate India’s engagement within an organisation where some members maintain strong anti-Western orientations.
Alam, however, said the SCO remained relevant because of its enormous demographic and economic weight, security mechanisms and potential to promote Eurasian connectivity.
He warned that the organisation risked becoming more symbolic than functional if it failed to overcome internal rivalries and deliver concrete projects.
For India, he said, the SCO should be viewed less as an ideological alliance and more as an instrument of strategic utility.
“India’s proactive participation and involvement enhance its global outreach including with Central Asian nations by expanding its viability and visibility in SCO,” he said.
He added that India could use the platform to advance connectivity, counter-terrorism and cultural diplomacy while managing the strategic challenge posed by China.
Alam said the ultimate test for the SCO would be its ability to move from declarations to practical, project-driven cooperation.
“If SCO adapts to deliver concrete results, India stands to gain visibility and leverage in Eurasia. If not, India risks expending diplomatic energy in a bloc that offers limited returns,” he said.
“In short, SCO matters for India only if it moves from symbolism to substance.”