Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is playing a very constructive role in the region and its consolidation and expansion should be welcomed by all, said Masood Khan, Pakistans Ambassador to China in an interview to a Chinese magazine, China Business News. Ambassador Masood Khan said "the genesis and evolution of the SCO have filled up a vacuum in our immediate neighbourhood. The organization works for peace, security and stability in the region, ushers in a culture of political multipolarity, and promotes economic and information globalization. It is based on the norm of good-neighborliness, which ensures regional harmony. In fact, the theme of harmony runs through its guiding philosophy and all its institutional structures. The SCO also demonstrates how nations sharing extended regional neighbourhoods should respect and promote cultural and civilizational diversities. He said the SCO also reflects the consensus of its members (as well as its affiliated observers) to oppose the disruptive and destructive forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism. Equal emphasis is placed on fighting transnational crime whether it includes illicit narcotics or psychotropic substances or migration or arms and ammunitions trafficking. The regulatory architecture being developed by the SCO in the fields of border security, customs control, labor migration, and financial and information security will help create conditions of peace and security in the region. Ambassador Khan said the SCO is enormously important for Pakistan. First, Pakistan is a close and contiguous neighbour of all SCO members. Thus, Pakistan is part of the geographical footprint of the SCO; in fact it is a natural extension of the SCO. Second, Pakistan fully subscribes to the aims and objectives of the SCO. Third, the connectivity once extended to Pakistan would help realize the full potential of the SCO, as Pakistans territory connects China and Central Asia with the Gulf and South Asia. He said the SCO knows that security follows the artery of trade and economic cooperation. Therefore, the Organization has made efforts to promote connectivity through trade, transportation and energy corridors. These efforts have already brought member states closer economically and have now whetted the appetite of other nations to emulate this model of regional cooperation. Finally, the SCO believes that borders are inviolate and that it is incumbent on all nations to respect sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of other states. Commenting on Pakistans full membership of SCO he mentioned that Pakistan is already an active observer of the SCO. We have been attending all its summits at the level of the President and Prime Minister. We have also been active in the activities of the subsidiary bodies of the SCO. Pakistan has submitted a formal application for the membership of the organization. Last year, the SCO adopted the rules for admitting new members; and this year at the Astana Summit there is a strong likelihood that the Memorandum of Obligation will be adopted. After this we look forward to entering into formal negotiations for entry. He said Pakistan and India joined SCO together as observers. India too has now applied formally for the membership. If Pakistan and India both join the SCO as full members, there will be naturally focus more on South Asia, a region that abuts on the SCO members geography. This would pave the way for cooperation between SCO and South Asia and among nations of East, Central and South Asia. All states need to sincerely imbibe the grund norm of the SCO that any kind of cooperation should never be meant to target a third country. Ambassador Khan said SCO has played a constructive role on Afghanistan. It has established a contact group in Afghanistan to monitor the situation and has held at least four meetings on Afghanistan at the level of Foreign Minister.