India, Sept. 11 -- The SCO began as a regional security forum but has since evolved into a crucible where geopolitics, economics, and energy intersect. Can India rise as a pivotal player, balancing rival powers while safeguarding its national interests?

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's 25th anniversary summit comes at a time of deep recalibration in the global order. For Asia, the SCO is no longer a mere security forum; it has evolved into a stage where the contradictions of geopolitics, economics, and energy converge. For India, the question is existential: Will it remain a dispensable pawn in Washington's larger contest with China and Russia, or position itself as a pivotal state bridging US-anchored markets with Eurasian supply...