NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday defended India’s refusal to back the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers' joint statement, saying it was unacceptable that a bloc founded with the main purpose to combat terrorism omitted a reference to it.
India had sought explicit mention of terrorism, especially cross-border terrorism, in the outcome document, including a reference to the recent Pahalgam terror attack. However, one member country - Pakistan - opposed the inclusion, prompting Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to decline signing the communiqué.
“When the main purpose of the organisation is to fight terrorism, and you are not allowing a reference to that, the outcome loses meaning,” Jaishankar said.
Further explaining as to why Singh refused to put India’s name on the document, Jaishankar said: “SCO runs with unanimity. So Rajnath ji clearly said that if there is no mention of terrorism in the statement, we will not sign it.”
At the SCO defence ministers’ meeting held in China, Singh pushed for a clear reference to the terrorism and especially cross-border terrorism, reflecting India’s long-standing concerns over cross-border terrorism backed by Pakistan. In response, the Pakistani delegation pushed to insert a paragraph about Balochistan, widely viewed in New Delhi as a diversionary tactic by Islamabad.
“In the discussion on the outcome document, one country — you can guess which one — said ‘no, we don’t want reference to that (terrorism),’” Jaishankar said, making a veiled reference to Pakistan.
The SCO operates by consensus, Jaishankar explained, and when one member refused to allow any mention of terrorism, Rajnath Singh made it clear that India could not accept the outcome document.
India, which became an SCO member in 2017 and held the rotating chair in 2023, has consistently emphasised that counter-terrorism must remain central to the bloc’s agenda. Singh, during his address in China, called for the “perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors” of terrorism to be held accountable — another clear message aimed at Islamabad.
The SCO, which operates through consensus, includes India, Pakistan, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Belarus.