Looking to advance India’s vision for region free from terror, says PM Modi as he embarks on visit to Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan
Ahead of departing for Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic, the Prime Minister stated the visit would advance India's regional vision "anchored in Security, Connectivity and Opportunity" and work with fellow SCO members toward a region free from terrorism, separatism, and extremism
The visit combines a bilateral leg in Tashkent with participation in the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek (August 31-September 1)
The counter-terrorism framing places India's security priorities within the SCO's founding mandate against what the grouping terms the "three evils" — terrorism, separatism, and extremism
The statement reiterates India's longstanding position of pressing for common definitions and zero-tolerance approaches to cross-border terrorism within multilateral fora
SCO's Counter-Terrorism Mandate: The Shanghai Convention and RATS
Combating terrorism, separatism, and extremism — termed the "three evil forces" — has been a founding objective of the SCO since its creation. The Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism, signed on 15 June 2001 (the same day the SCO itself was established) and in force from 29 March 2003, is the organisation's foundational counter-terrorism treaty, operationalised through the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS).
Key Details
- The Shanghai Convention obliges member states to cooperate on extradition, information-sharing, and joint action against groups engaged in terrorism, separatism, or extremism
- RATS, the SCO's permanent counter-terrorism body, was established in 2004 and headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan; it coordinates joint counter-terrorism exercises, intelligence sharing, and maintains a list of organisations designated as terrorist, separatist, or extremist by member states
- India, as a full SCO member since 2017, participates in RATS Council meetings and joint counter-terrorism exercises alongside other member states
- Because SCO decisions require consensus among all 10 full members — including states with divergent positions on terrorism designations — joint statements on terrorism have at times faced difficulty reflecting India's preferred language on cross-border terrorism
The Prime Minister's "region free from terror" framing going into the Bishkek Summit signals India's intent to press its counter-terrorism priorities within this SCO framework, whose founding legal instrument (the 2001 Shanghai Convention) predates India's own membership by over a decade.
India's Multilateral Counter-Terrorism Financing Engagement
Beyond SCO-specific mechanisms, India's counter-terrorism diplomacy operates through global financial-integrity bodies that address the financing dimension of terrorism, most prominently the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Key Details
- India has been a full member of the FATF since 25 June 2010, after being admitted as its 34th country member following a Mutual Evaluation Report process (India held Observer status from 2006)
- The FATF's standards address both money laundering and terrorist financing, and its "grey list"/"black list" designations are used by India to press for international pressure on states seen as insufficiently curbing terror financing networks
- India's most recent FATF Mutual Evaluation Report was adopted at the June 2024 Plenary in Singapore, placing India in the "regular follow-up" category
- India also engages the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF) and UN counter-terrorism bodies (such as UNSC Resolution 1373-mandated Counter-Terrorism Committee) as parallel channels distinct from the SCO-RATS track
India's regional-security messaging at SCO (a Eurasian, security-cooperation-focused body) is one layer of a broader, multi-forum counter-terrorism strategy that also runs through FATF and UN mechanisms, reflecting India's practice of raising terrorism financing and safe havens across several multilateral platforms simultaneously.
- Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism: signed 15 June 2001, in force 29 March 2003
- RATS (SCO's Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure): established 2004, headquartered in Tashkent
- India's SCO full membership: since 9 June 2017 (Astana Summit); SCO decisions require consensus among 10 full members
- India's FATF full membership: since 25 June 2010 (34th country member); most recent Mutual Evaluation Report adopted June 2024 (Singapore Plenary)
- 26th SCO Summit: Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, August 31-September 1, 2026