In an upcoming meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Pakistan, India is likely to send a 3-member team. The Pabbi Anti-Terror Exercise 2021 is taking place from October 3 in Pakistan’s Nowshera district under the auspices of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), which aims to promote counter-terrorism cooperation among SCO member states.
Despite its participation in the exercise, an event of the SCO, the government does not believe that its concerns about Pakistan’s support of cross-border terrorism will be softened in any way. The importance India attaches to the role of the Central Asia-focused regional bloc in security-related issues, especially in Afghanistan, will be demonstrated by its presence. With Iran joining the group, which includes Russia, India, China, Pakistan and four countries in Central Asia as full members, the SCO is likely to play a key role in the efforts to find a political and diplomatic solution to the Afghan conflict.
The announcement of the exercise was made in March this year after a meeting of the Council of RATS in Tashkent. As per the SCO protocol, Pakistan had invited all SCO members, including India, to participate in the exercise, which does not involve troops and is intended to identify and suppress terrorist financing channels. Officials of the National Security Council Secretariat are likely to represent India in the exercise.
In the SCO Dushanbe Declaration earlier this month, the SCO RATS were reaffirmed as having a ‘special role’ in the joint fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism to ensure regional security. Additionally, the report said that the upcoming Pabbi Anti-Terror 2021 exercise will be also conducted by member-states. PM Narendra Modi asked the international community not to recognize the Taliban government at the summit of the SCO on Afghanistan in Dushanbe. As the Declaration called for an Afghanistan free from terrorism and drugs, all member-states believed it was essential to have an inclusive government in Afghanistan, with representatives from all ethnic, religious, and political groups.
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The SCO exercise will take place at a time when India-Pakistan ties seem to be going from bad to worse despite the thaw witnessed in February this year when the 2 sides arrived at a ceasefire agreement.A Pakistani militant was captured earlier this week after the army engaged him in combat on the Uri Sector of the Line of Control. In the last month, the Indian army has accused Pakistan commanders of facilitating infiltration into J&K.
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