The eight-member bloc said that the decision to hold the joint exercise 'Pabbi-Anti-Terror 2021' was announced during the 36th meeting of the Council of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on March 18.

Members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, including India, Pakistan and China, will hold a joint anti-terrorism exercise this year.

The eight-member bloc said that the decision to hold the joint exercise 'Pabbi-Anti-Terror 2021' was announced during the 36th meeting of the Council of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on March 18.

"Decisions have been made to improve cooperation between the competent authorities of the SCO member states in identifying and suppressing channels that finance terrorist activities," as per the media reports.

Delegations of the competent authorities of India, Kazakhstan, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the RATS Executive Committee attended the meeting, they added.

Headquartered in Tashkent, RATS is a permanent organ of the SCO which serves to promote cooperation of member states against terrorism, separatism and extremism. In 2017, India and Pakistan joined the block as a full member. It is an economic and security bloc.

The founding members are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.