ISLAMABAD: Islamabad vo­­wed on Wednesday to work for pro­moting regional cooperation on countering terrorism as it as­­sumed the chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Reg­ional Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCO-RATS).

“Pakistan today assumed the chair of the Shanghai Coope­ra­tion Organisation’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure for 2025-26,” the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement after the 44th meeting of the RATS council in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyz Republic, decided to pass the chairmanship to Islamabad.

Pakistan welcomed the decision, calling it “a reflection of the confidence of SCO member states in Pakistan’s dedicated efforts and contribution towards regio­nal peace and security, particularly in combating terrorism”.

The FO said Islamabad would work to foster regional cooperation “guided by the Shanghai spirit of mutual trust, equality, and shared responsibility”.

The Tashkent-based RATS was created to coordinate counter-te­r­rorism, counter-separatism, and counter-extremism efforts amo­ng SCO members. Its mandate includes intelligence sharing, bu­­ilding databases of banned grou­­ps, joint drills, extradition arran­gements and coordinated operations.

But progress has often been constrained by political tensions, particularly between Pakistan and India as the Kashmir dispute and terrorism allegations have repeatedly undermined RATS initiatives.

During India’s 2022 chairmanship, efforts to expand a shared intelligence database stalled over disagreements, while participation in RATS-led drills and events has been inconsistent.

Meetings in 2023 and 2025 also saw public exchanges of accusations between the two countries, leaving China and Russia to play balancing roles.

Analysts say such disputes have eroded RATS’s neutrality and limited its ability to function as a seamless multilateral platform.

Despite these challenges, Pakistan pledged to work with SCO partners, international organisations and the United Nations to advance collective counter-terrorism efforts.

The Foreign Office said Pakistan would host events on cyber counterterrorism, information operations, border security, terrorist financing and capacity-building during its tenure.

“In order to develop cooperation, it is planned to hold expert events on the territory of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, including a practical seminar in the area of countering the use of the internet for terrorist, separatist and extremist purposes,” RATS Council said in an information note on the meeting in Kyrgyzstan.

The RATS Council, in its meeting, also approved plans for an executive cxommittee and expert groups, including measures to curb terrorist financing and prevent extremist movements across SCO states.

Members agreed to hold joint information campaigns against international terrorist organisations next year.

In a statement, the council condemned terrorist attacks committed this year on SCO territories, as well as military strikes on civilian facilities and Iran’s nuclear energy infrastructure, echoing language in the Tianjin Declaration of SCO heads of state.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2025