India and China are expected to be at loggerheads over  Afghanistan, as a divided Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) begins its summit in Dushanbe on Friday.

China wants to cooperate with the new Kabul government, while India is strongly against it, insisting that an inclusive cabinet be formed , reports Nezavisimaya Gazeta, a Russian newspaper.

The India-China split is having a downstream impact. Pakistan, Uzbekistan and  Kazakhstan subscribe to Beijing’s approach, while Tajikistan’s position aligns with that of New Delhi, the daily added.

Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will address the summit in a virtual format. The SCO has eight members, including  India, China and Russia flanking a Central Asian core.

The summit is expected to back Iran as the ninth member of the SCO. Tehran, like India, wants Afghanistan to have an inclusive government, which includes the country’s minorities including Uzbeks, Hazaras and Tajiks, with whom Tehran enjoys historic cultural ties.

Tehran Times is reporting that Russian security chief Nikolai Patrushev had a conversation with the secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council , Ali Shamkhani, announcing that Iran will soon become a full member of the SCO.

In a Twitter post, Shamkhani said he held a conversation with his “friend and colleague, Mr. Patrushev” in which they discussed  developments in Afghanistan, Syria, and the Persian Gulf region.

“Fortunately, the political obstacles to Iran's membership in the Shanghai CO have been removed & Iran’s membership will be finalized,” he observed.

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