On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek to attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). A stable Afghanistan too is in India’s interest, and RATS provides access to non-Pakistan-centred counter-terrorism information there. SCO membership also bolsters India’s status as a major pan-Asian player, which is boxed in the South Asian paradigm. In the SCO, India’s sitting down with less-than-free regimes, Russia and China has always had the West worried. In the absence of the SAARC summit, the SCO summit gives an opportunity for Indian and Pakistani leaders to meet informally, on the sidelines.

Source: Indian Express June 12, 2019 19:53 UTC