India is likely to send a 3-member team to participate in an anti-terror exercise by SCO in Pakistan next week.
According to a report by Times of India, the Pabbi Anti-terror Exercise 2021 is being held at Pabbi in Pakistan’s Nowshera district from October 3 under the aegis of Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) which seeks to promote counter-terrorism cooperation between SCO memberstates.
India’s presence though will be seen as a sign of the importance it attaches to the role of the Central Asia-focused regional bloc in security-related issues, especially in Afghanistan.
With Iran too joining the group, comprising , India, China, Pakistan and 4 Central Asian countries as full members, SCO is likely to play a key role in the efforts for a political and diplomatic solution to the situation in Afghanistan.
The report by Times of India further revealed that India was apparently the last country to confirm its participation in the exercise which was announced in March this year following a meeting of the Council of RATS in Tashkent. In line with the SCO protocol, Pakistan had invited Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
The SCO Dushanbe Declaration earlier this month reaffirmed the “special role’’ of the SCO RATS in the joint fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism in order to ensure regional security. It had also said that memberstates will continue to conduct joint anti-terrorism exercises, including the upcoming Pabbi Anti-Terror 2021 exercise.
Addressing the SCO summit meeting on Afghanistan in Dushanbe, PM Narendra Modi had said that the government formed by Taliban wasn’t inclusive and asked the international community to not rush into recognising it.
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News and IPL 2022 Live Updates here.
Comments
0 comment