- FO says Pakistan ready to share experiences in tackling terrorism
ISLAMABAD: In an apparent thaw in the relationship between the two neighbours, Pakistan is expected to host a delegation representing India at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) Legal Experts meeting being held from May 23 to 25.
A statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday stated, “This is the first ever SCO meeting being held in Pakistan since the country has become a member of the SCO in June 2017.”
The FO said that legal experts from the eight member states including India, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan, as well as representatives of the SCO-RATS executive committee will participate in the meeting.
The meeting will discuss terrorist threats being faced by the region and ways and means to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation between SCO member states, it said.
The statement reiterated Pakistan’s support for efforts for regional cooperation in fighting terrorism, drug trafficking and organised crime. “We are ready to share our experiences in tackling the menace of terrorism through the SCO-RATS,” it read, adding that “Pakistan is pleased to welcome delegations from SCO member states to Islamabad.”
Apart from the SCO meeting, the two countries in an unexpected move are going to participate in joint military drills in September for the first time. According to media reports, Pakistani and Indian troops will participate in a joint exercise in Russia under the aegis of the SCO.
Troops from the two countries have sometimes come together in peacekeeping assignments with the UN but they haven’t been in a military exercise like the one they would be participating in with Russia and China among other SCO members.
