India Refuses to Sign SCO Joint Statement Over Omission of Pahalgam Terror Attack
GG News Bureau
Qingdao (China), 26th June: In a firm stand against global ambivalence on terrorism, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday refused to sign the joint statement at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meet in Qingdao, China. The move comes after the final document failed to mention the Pahalgam terror attack — an incident that claimed 26 innocent lives — and instead included references to Balochistan, which India has long rejected as baseless propaganda by Pakistan.
India sees the omission of Pahalgam as deliberate, allegedly done at Pakistan’s behest with support from China, the current SCO chair. The inclusion of Balochistan, which insinuates Indian involvement in the region’s unrest, further prompted New Delhi to withhold endorsement of the statement.
Addressing the SCO Defence Ministers’ summit, Singh called upon member nations to unite in the fight against terrorism, which he described as the biggest threat to regional peace and security. “Peace and prosperity cannot co-exist with terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of non-state actors and terror groups,” Singh said. He urged SCO members to take decisive action and reject the use of terrorism as a tool of state policy.
In a veiled reference to Pakistan, Singh said, “Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide shelter to terrorists. There should be no place for such double standards. SCO should not hesitate to criticise such nations.”
Referring to the Pahalgam attack, Singh noted that victims were targeted based on their religious identity. The Resistance Front, a proxy of the UN-designated terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the massacre. “The pattern matches LeT’s previous terror attacks. India has shown that epicentres of terrorism are no longer safe. We will not hesitate to target them,” the Defence Minister said, underscoring India’s right to defend itself and deter further cross-border threats.
He called on the SCO to unequivocally condemn terrorism in all forms and hold perpetrators, organisers, and sponsors accountable. “Every act of terrorism is criminal and unjustifiable,” Singh stated, aligning his remarks with the broader international sentiment in the aftermath of India’s decisive Operation Sindoor.
India’s refusal to sign the SCO document reinforces its uncompromising stance on terrorism and underlines its growing global assertiveness. It also follows a diplomatic outreach campaign in which New Delhi dispatched eight delegations worldwide to build consensus on its zero-tolerance approach to terrorism.
The SCO meeting was attended by Defence Ministers from member states including Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, and others. Established in 2001, the SCO seeks to promote regional stability and cooperation. However, the Defence Minister’s statement highlighted growing friction within the bloc on issues of counterterrorism, especially when state actors are perceived to be shielding terror proxies.
