THE ROLE OF REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN INSTITUTIONALIZING PAKISTAN–CENTRAL ASIA CONNECTIVITY

A NEO-FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This article examines how far regional organisations- SCO, ECO, and EAEU- enable functional cooperation and institutionalise Pakistan–Central Asia connectivity within a neo-functionalist paradigm. Drawing solely on the provided literature, the analysis traces sectoral cooperation (security, trade, transit, and energy) and evaluates whether functional spillovers have produced durable institutionalisation. Findings show that SCO has broadened from security to multi-sectoral cooperation; ECO provides an ambitious but inconsistently implemented economic framework; and EAEU advances geo-economic linkages aligned to Russia’s Greater Eurasian Partnership with selective compatibility to the BRI/CPEC vector. Across cases, progress is mediated by Afghanistan’s instability, capacity gaps, and geopolitical rivalries (notably India-Pakistan), constraining spillovers and formal institutionalisation implication. Regional organisations act as both facilitators and inhibitors: they create agenda-setting platforms and soft rules, but weak supranational authority and political frictions keep integration partial and uneven.