In his address at the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday described the Pahalgam terror attack as not just a strike on India but “an open challenge to every country that believes in humanity".
Calling for a united stand against terrorism, Modi said the SCO must “clearly and unanimously state that no double standards on terrorism will be acceptable,” stressing that the bloc must jointly oppose the menace “in all its forms and colours.”
He added, “This is our duty towards humanity.”
Without directly naming Pakistan Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who is attending the summit, Modi questioned whether “the open support of terrorism by some countries” could be tolerated.
He noted that India has endured the impact of terrorism for over four decades, and the “ugly face of terrorism” was seen recently in the Pahalgam attack.
Modi also expressed his gratitude to the friendly countries that stood with India following the Pahalgam attack.
Following the Prime Minister's address, the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, In a declaration, strongly condemned the Pahalgam Terror Attack.
"The Member States strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025. They expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the dead and the wounded.
"They further stated that perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of such attacks must be brought to justice," the declaration read.
After the proceedings, Modi was seen leaving the SCO Summit venue with Russian President Vladimir Putin to the venue of the key bilateral meeting between India and Russia.
Prior to this, Vladimir Putin, addressing the SCO summit, defended the invasion of Ukraine saying that the West's constant attempts to draw Kiev into NATO is one of the main causes of the conflict.
Putin claimed that the crisis arose largely because of the "coup d'etat in Kiev in 2014, which was provoked by the West", Russian news agency Tass reported.
"As a result of the coup in 2014, the political leadership of the country that did not support Ukraine's accession to NATO was removed," Putin added.
Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping in his address criticised the “bullying behaviour” in the global order as he convened regional leaders for a summit.
Urging cooperation, he called on leaders including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to uphold fairness and justice while rejecting Cold War mentality, bloc politics and intimidation.
Earlier, Xi opened the SCO summit, attended by more than 20 world leaders, including Putin and Modi.
Xi also said that China would work with all members of the SCO to elevate the regional security forum, outlining his vision for a new global security order that challenges US influence.
In his opening remarks at the two-day summit, Xi said the SCO had set an example of a new kind of international relations and stood firmly against external interference.
He called for constructive participation in global affairs, rejection of hegemonism and power politics, and stronger support for multilateralism.
Xi also pledged to provide 2 billion yuan (about 281 million U.S. dollars) in grant to member states of the SCO within this year.
The SCO, initially a six-nation Eurasian bloc, has since grown to 10 permanent members and 16 dialogue partners and observers.
After the group photograph with SCO leaders on the red carpet, Xi, Putin and Modi were seen having a conversation.
Modi later shared on X, “Always a delight to meet President Putin,” following his meeting with the Russian leader ahead of the summit.
In another post, he added, “Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with President Putin and President Xi during the SCO Summit.”
Modi, along with other heads of state, began day-long deliberations to chalk out the bloc’s future course with the Prime Minister scheduled to address the plenary session later in the day.
The 25th summit was formally kicked off on Sunday night with a massive banquet hosted by Xi.
The SCO, a regional grouping focused on politics, economics and security, was founded by China.
On the sidelines of the Tianjin summit, PM Modi is set to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, even as US President Donald Trump steps up pressure on New Delhi over its import of Russian oil.
On Sunday, Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping, with both leaders vowing to ease border tensions and strengthen cooperation.
The foreign ministry said on Monday that China has pledged support to India in combating terrorism during the bilateral talks between the leaders of the two nations.
This marks Modi’s first visit to China since relations soured after the deadly border clashes of 2020.
(With inputs from PTI)