Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday addressed the Council of Heads of State (CHS) during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2020 via video link.
Pakistan, PM Imran Khan said, was on the forefront of the struggle against terrorism.
"It’s critical to address terrorism in all its forms," the premier said. "We welcome the SCO’s data security initiative, especially China’s initiative.
"We must also continue to steadfastly oppose extremist and xenophobic tendencies — including racist ideologies inspired by neo-Nazis — and Islamophobia.
"We must resolutely oppose divisive policies based on prejudice and discrimination and focus on building interfaith and cross cultural bridges," he added.
PM Imran Khan appealed to the SCO Summit 2020 to call "for mutual respect for all religions and beliefs", building up on his demand for peace and harmony across the world.
The premier had earlier decided to raise at international forums the issue of controversial caricatures in France that has angered Muslims across the world. In a letter shared on Twitter last month, he had urged leaders of the Islamic world to "take the initiative to call for an end to this cycle of hate and violence”.
At the SCO Summit 2020, PM Imran Khan continued that his government was particularly focused on alleviating poverty in Pakistan. "We are thankful to all the SCO members for helping us," he said.
The prime minister underscored that Pakistan stood with the SCO’s commitment toward climate change, noting that the South Asian country was "mitigating the adverse effects of climate change".
"We have launched an eco-system restoration initiative to plant 10 billion trees in the country," he said.
