NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD: India will send a delegation led by a joint secretary-level official to an antiterrorism conference hosted by Pakistan under the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), taking the view that it is a multilateral forum, persons familiar with the development said.

The three-day meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation–regional Anti-terrorist Structure (SCO-RATS) legal experts will kick off on Wednesday.

India’s participation in the first such SCO meeting hosted in Islamabad is being seen as significant given the recent tensions with Pakistan, but a person familiar with New Delhi’s position said it took the view that the event is multilateral. “The decision was taken to send a delegation led, most probably by a joint secretary level officer, as SCO is a multilateral forum,” said the person. Both Pakistan and India became SCO members in June 2017.

The Pakistani foreign office said in a statement that it “is pleased to welcome delegations from SCO member states to Islamabad.”

However, external affairs ministry didn’t make a formal response to that statement, which also said delegations from all SCO member states will attend the meeting.

Legal experts from the eight member states--china, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan--and representatives of the SCO-RATS executive committee will participate in the meeting.

They will discuss terrorist threats facing the region and ways and means to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation between SCO member states, said the Pakistan foreign office statement. It said Pakistan supports SCO’S efforts for regional cooperation in fighting terrorism, drug trafficking and organised crime, and “is ready to share its experiences in tackling the menace of terrorism through the SCO-RATS.”

Jayanth Jacob & Imtiaz Ahmad letters@hindustantimes.com

Courtesy: Hindustan Times: 23 May 2018