India's Stand on Terrorism at SCO Meeting Sparks Controversy

India's Firm Stance on Terrorism at SCO Defence Meeting

New Delhi: On Friday, S. Jaishankar, India's External Affairs Minister, emphasized the nation's desire for the inclusion of terrorism references in the final document of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers' meeting. However, this request was met with resistance from one member nation, implicitly referring to Pakistan.

Jaishankar supported Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's position, asserting that the SCO's primary objective is to combat terrorism. He stated that without addressing India's concerns regarding terrorism, he could not endorse the outcome document.

During the meeting, Singh declined to sign a joint statement due to the absence of references to the Pahalgam terror attack and the lack of acknowledgment of Pakistan's involvement in cross-border terrorism.

Sources revealed that Singh insisted on including the terror attack in the statement, while the Pakistani delegation sought to include a section addressing militant activities in Balochistan, seemingly to shift blame onto India.

Jaishankar reiterated that the SCO operates on consensus, noting that when one country opposed mentioning terrorism, Singh made it clear that India could not accept the document.

The SCO's foundation is built on unanimity, and Jaishankar highlighted that India's stance was firm in the face of opposition.