India, Pakistan discuss border security at SCO meeting in Islamabad
The 12th Meeting of the Heads of Border Services of the Competent Authorities of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states was held in Islamabad, chaired by Pakistan.
Representatives from Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan attended, along with officials of the Executive Committee of the SCO's Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS).
The meeting reviewed the outcomes of the Joint Border Operation "Solidarity-2025," approved the plan for "Solidarity-2026," and approved the RATS Group of Experts' work plan for 2027.
Participants exchanged assessments of the security situation along SCO member states' international borders and supported Tajikistan's proposal to host the "Solidarity-2027" operation.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) — Structure and Membership
The SCO is a Eurasian political, economic, and security grouping established in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan (evolving from the earlier "Shanghai Five" grouping formed in 1996). Its permanent secretariat is headquartered in Beijing. It functions as a platform for regional security cooperation (counter-terrorism, border management) alongside economic and connectivity cooperation among Eurasian states.
Key Details
- Membership expanded to ten states: India and Pakistan were admitted as full members in 2017 (the first expansion since founding), Iran joined in 2023, and Belarus in 2024.
- India has held the rotating SCO chairmanship (2023) and hosted the Council of Heads of State summit virtually that year; Pakistan holds the chairmanship for the 2026 cycle.
- The SCO's founding treaty is the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism (2001), targeting what the organisation terms the "Three Evils."
- Decision-making in the SCO operates by consensus, meaning any single member (including Pakistan) can block collective action, which creates structural limits on India's ability to secure SCO-level action against cross-border terrorism.
The Islamabad border services meeting is a working-level SCO mechanism under this structure, bringing together India and Pakistan (both full members since 2017) in a multilateral forum even amid bilateral tensions, distinct from and parallel to their bilateral border channels.
SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS)
RATS is a permanent institutional organ of the SCO dedicated to coordinating counter-terrorism, counter-extremism, and counter-separatism efforts among member states, including intelligence-sharing and joint exercises. It was established by a decision of the Council of Heads of State in June 2002 and became operational in 2004.
Key Details
- RATS was originally headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan; its Executive Committee relocated its headquarters to Moscow in 2022.
- RATS' Executive Committee comprises the eight countries that were full SCO members at the time of its structuring (China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan); Iran and Belarus (SCO's newer full members) have since engaged with RATS structures as their SCO membership status has evolved.
- RATS coordinates the SCO's "Three Evils" mandate — terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism — and works with a joint list of organisations designated as terrorist, separatist, or extremist by member states.
- Official working languages of RATS are Chinese and Russian.
RATS officials' attendance at the Islamabad border services meeting reflects the institutional overlap between SCO border management cooperation and its dedicated counter-terrorism structure, since border security and counter-terrorism cooperation are treated as linked functions within the SCO architecture.
India-Pakistan Bilateral Border Management Mechanisms (For Comparison)
Separately from multilateral SCO forums, India and Pakistan maintain dedicated bilateral mechanisms for day-to-day border and line-of-control management, most notably the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMO) hotline — a secure, encrypted channel linking Army Headquarters in New Delhi and Rawalpindi, used to de-escalate incidents before they require political-level engagement. This is distinct from multilateral engagement such as the SCO border services meetings.
Key Details
- The DGMO hotline operates alongside local-commander-level flag meetings that resolve routine friction points along the Line of Control (LoC), such as inadvertent crossings.
- The Shimla Agreement (1972) remains the foundational bilateral framework governing India-Pakistan conduct along the Line of Control and mandates that disputes be resolved bilaterally rather than through third-party or multilateral mediation — a principle India cites when distinguishing bilateral LoC management from multilateral fora like the SCO.
- India's participation in the SCO border services meeting does not substitute for or alter the bilateral DGMO/Shimla framework; it is a separate, technical-level multilateral track focused on broader regional border and counter-terrorism cooperation.
The Islamabad meeting shows India and Pakistan cooperating within a multilateral, technical-level SCO forum on border security even as their primary bilateral border management channel (the DGMO hotline, under the Shimla framework) remains the operative mechanism for LoC-specific incidents.
- 12th Meeting of Heads of Border Services of SCO Competent Authorities: held in Islamabad, chaired by Pakistan; attended by Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, plus SCO RATS Executive Committee officials.
- SCO: founded 2001 (Shanghai Five since 1996); Beijing-headquartered secretariat; ten members after India/Pakistan (2017), Iran (2023), and Belarus (2024) joined.
- SCO RATS: established June 2002, operational since 2004; originally headquartered in Tashkent, relocated to Moscow in 2022; mandate covers terrorism, separatism, extremism ("Three Evils").
- Joint Border Operations reviewed/approved at the meeting: "Solidarity-2025" (results reviewed), "Solidarity-2026" (plan approved), with Tajikistan proposed to host "Solidarity-2027."
- India-Pakistan bilateral border management: DGMO hotline (New Delhi-Rawalpindi) and Shimla Agreement (1972), operating separately from SCO multilateral mechanisms.