'Empty commitments by heads of state' says political commentator Brahma Chellaney

Political commentator Dr. Brahma Chellaney says that India's membership lends respectability to the SCO and helps counter the perception of it being an anti-Western club of autocracies. However, the question remains about what India gains from its SCO membership. Former Ambassador Ashok Kantha explains India's limited expectations from the SCO due to strategic differences among member countries but stresses the importance of bilateral relations with the Central Asian countries which are part of the SCO.