(TibetanReview.net, Jun26’25) – The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet hosted by China in the coastal city of Qingdao in Shandong Province over Jun 25-26 has ended without being able to issue a joint statement as India refused to sign it, angered by the fact that it omitted any mention of the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 tourists were killed by Pakistan-trained terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. It also sought to implicate India in the ongoing unrest in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, according to India media reports Jun 26.
The SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting chair, China, and its “all-weather friend” Pakistan, tried to divert attention from terrorism in the SCO document, but India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh maintained his ground firmly on India’s position vis-a-vis terrorism, reported indiatoday.in Jun 26.
What added insult to injury was the fact that the document mentioned Balochistan in a veiled attempt to accuse India of creating unrest there.
“India is not satisfied with the language of the joint document, there was no mention of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, there was mention of the incidents that happened in Pakistan, so India refused to sign the joint declaration, and there is no joint communique either,” reported the news agency ANI.
Pahalgam’s exclusion from the document appears to have been done at Pakistan’s behest as its all-weather ally, China, currently holds the SCO Chair, reported the NDTV Jun 26.
India’s position is that the Apr 22 Pahalgam terror attack was carried out by ‘The Resistance Front’ (TRF), a proxy of the UN-designated terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) based in Pakistan.
Singh has said that India successfully launched Operation Sindoor on May7 to dismantle cross-border terrorist infrastructure.
Member states, including Russia, Pakistan and China, attended the summit to discuss issues related to regional and international security. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has also attended the summit.
Singh had earlier condemned terrorism in address at the SCO, emphasising the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers, and sponsors of terrorist acts accountable and bring them to justice.
“We reiterate the need to hold the perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of reprehensible acts of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, accountable and bring them to justice. Any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivation, whenever, wherever and by whomever committed. SCO members must condemn this evil unequivocally,” livemint.com Jun 26 quoted Singh as having said.
China has not commented on its failure as the host and Chair of the summit. Its official Xinhua news agency Jun 26 said all parties participating in the meeting agreed to enhance strategic communication, promote practical cooperation, and jointly maintain regional peace and stability.