Level 1
SCO MCQs set 3 for NAB Investigation Officer (BS-17) Current Affairs — 20 solved questions.
Q1. Which of the following was among the original six founding members of the SCO when it was established in Shanghai in 2001?
Answer: Uzbekistan
Explanation: The SCO was founded in Shanghai in June 2001 by six states: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan - with Uzbekistan among the original six founding members.
Q2. The SCO observer states include countries that participate in SCO activities without full voting rights. Which of the following is an SCO observer state?
Answer: Afghanistan
Explanation: Afghanistan has observer status in the SCO, alongside Iran (before becoming a full member in 2023), Mongolia, and Belarus (before full membership); observer states participate in meetings and activities but do not have full voting rights.
Q3. The SCO's expansion from its 2001 founding to 2023 has been described as the largest expansion in its history. Which two countries joined as full members at the New Delhi SCO Summit in 2023?
Answer: Iran and Belarus
Explanation: At the New Delhi SCO Summit in July 2023, both Iran and Belarus were formally admitted as full members, marking the largest single expansion in the SCO's history and extending its geographic reach to the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Q4. The SCO's "Shanghai Spirit" is characterized by which of the following core principles that distinguishes it from Western-led multilateral institutions?
Answer: Mutual trust, non-alignment, non-targeting of third parties, and openness
Explanation: The "Shanghai Spirit" is defined by mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for cultural diversity, and pursuit of common development - explicitly rejecting alliance politics and non-targeting of third parties.
Q5. In the context of SCO's institutional structure, the Council of Heads of State is the supreme body. Which council specifically oversees coordination of foreign policy positions among member states?
Answer: Council of Foreign Ministers
Explanation: The SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meets regularly to coordinate member states' foreign policy positions, prepare decisions for the Council of Heads of State, and handle external relations with other international organizations.
Q6. At a SCO Heads of Government summit, Pakistan is invited to co-sponsor a joint declaration on regional counter-terrorism cooperation. India, also a SCO member, objects to language Pakistan inserted about "state-sponsored terrorism." What principle of SCO decision-making complicates resolution of this deadlock?
Answer: SCO operates on consensus, meaning any member's objection prevents adoption of joint declarations
Explanation: The SCO operates strictly on the principle of consensus decision-making, meaning all nine full members must agree for any joint declaration or resolution to be adopted; a single member's objection is sufficient to block any statement, which frequently paralyzes Pakistan-India coordination.
Q7. At the 2024 SCO Summit hosted by Pakistan, a joint statement on regional connectivity is being drafted. India insists on removing a paragraph referencing the CPEC corridor passing through Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan refuses the deletion. The summit risks ending without a joint communiqué. What does this scenario most clearly illustrate about the SCO as a forum for Pakistan's foreign policy?
Answer: Structural India-Pakistan bilateral disputes can obstruct SCO multilateral outcomes, limiting the forum's utility as a regional integration platform
Explanation: This scenario illustrates how bilateral India-Pakistan disputes over issues like CPEC routing through Pakistan-administered Kashmir can prevent the SCO from reaching consensus on even routine multilateral outcomes, revealing the forum's limitations as a genuine regional integration platform.
Q8. Pakistan gained full Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) membership in the same year as India mainly through which milestone year?
Answer: 2017
Explanation: Pakistan and India both gained full Shanghai Cooperation Organisation membership in 2017 at the Astana Summit, a significant expansion of the primarily Central Asian security and economic grouping that brought South Asia's two nuclear rivals into the same multilateral body.
Q9. Inside the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) architecture, Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure coordination is principally associated with which host city?
Answer: Tashkent
Explanation: The SCO's Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), responsible for coordinating counter-terrorism, counter-extremism, and counter-separatism efforts among member states, is headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Q10. Against earlier observer negotiations, Uzbekistan transitioned into Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) full membership principally through diplomacy dated to which foundational year?
Answer: 2001
Explanation: Uzbekistan was a founding member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, established in 2001 in Shanghai, making 2001 the foundational year of its full SCO membership along with Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
Q11. Which Central Asian artery city frequently labels summit venues when Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders gather during Kazakhstan rotational hosting cycles?
Answer: Astana
Explanation: Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, has repeatedly hosted SCO summits during Kazakhstan's rotating chairmanship periods, and the 2022 SCO summit that admitted Iran as an observer was held there.
Q12. Within Shanghai Cooperation Organisation roster vocabulary historically predating insurgent ascendancy turbulence in Afghanistan, diplomatic tables ordinarily classified Afghanistan nearer to which standing relative to treaty-defined full members?
Answer: Observer modality rather than full-membership modality
Explanation: Afghanistan held observer status within the SCO prior to the Taliban takeover in 2021; as an observer it participated in meetings without full membership rights, voting, or treaty obligations.
Q13. Which country hosted the 23rd SCO Council of Heads of State summit in 2023?
Answer: India
Explanation: India held the SCO presidency in 2023 and hosted the 23rd SCO Council of Heads of State summit virtually in July 2023, a notable format choice given India's complex bilateral relations with several SCO members.
Q14. Pakistan hosted the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in October 2024 in which city?
Answer: Islamabad
Explanation: Pakistan hosted the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in October 2024 in Islamabad, a significant diplomatic milestone that brought regional leaders including India's External Affairs Minister to the capital.
Q15. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari visited India in May 2023 for which meeting?
Answer: SCO Foreign Ministers Meeting
Explanation: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari attended the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Goa, India in May 2023 - marking the first visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to India in over a decade.
Q16. Pakistan became a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in which year, boosting its regional trade ambitions?
Answer: 2017
Explanation: Pakistan and India became full members of the SCO at the Astana Summit on June 9, 2017, marking a significant expansion of the Chinese and Russian-led security and economic grouping into South Asia.
Q17. In 2024, Pakistan successfully hosted which major regional organisation's summit, demonstrating economic diplomacy?
Answer: SCO Summit
Explanation: Pakistan successfully hosted the SCO Council of Heads of Government summit in October 2024 in Islamabad, demonstrating its role as a constructive regional partner and boosting diplomatic credibility.
Q18. The total number of SCO member states after Iran's full membership in 2023 became how many?
Answer: 10
Explanation: After Iran's full accession to the SCO in July 2023 at the New Delhi summit, total full membership reached ten states: the original six plus India, Pakistan, Iran, and Belarus.
Q19. Pakistan is deciding whether to align more closely with China-led SCO initiatives or maintain equidistance between major powers. A senior diplomat argues that fully committing to SCO frameworks would risk alienating Western donors. Which strategic concept best describes Pakistan's current approach of engaging multiple blocs without full commitment?
Answer: Hedging strategy
Explanation: Hedging is the strategic behaviour of a smaller state that engages with multiple great powers without fully aligning with any, preserving policy flexibility and reducing the risks of both entrapment and abandonment - Pakistan's consistent approach to managing US-China competition.
Q20. At an SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting, Pakistan pushes for a resolution condemning India's actions in Kashmir. China signals quiet support but Russia abstains to protect its India ties. What does this scenario most clearly illustrate about SCO decision-making?
Answer: Consensus-based decision-making limits SCO's ability to address bilateral disputes between members
Explanation: SCO operates on the principle of consensus, meaning any single member's opposition can block a resolution; this structural feature prevents the body from adjudicating bilateral disputes between its own members.