NEW DELHI: Two months after India walked out of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers’ statement over its silence on terrorism, the bloc on Monday took a significantly tougher stance.
In a rare consensus, the Tianjin Declaration — endorsed by all member states, including Pakistan and China — strongly condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, marking a diplomatic win for New Delhi and a notable shift in the SCO’s approach to cross-border terrorism.
The declaration, adopted at the SCO Heads of State Council meeting, said: “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 language closely mirrors India’s position, particularly the emphasis on holding not just perpetrators but also sponsors accountable, a long-standing reference to Pakistan-based groups and their alleged state support.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who shared the stage with leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif, had said in his address.
“We must say clearly and unanimously that no double standards are acceptable on terrorism. This attack was an open challenge to every country and person who believes in humanity… It is natural to raise the question whether the open support of terrorism by some countries can be acceptable to us.”
While Pakistan was not named in the declaration or in Modi’s speech, its endorsement of the statement is diplomatically significant, particularly after India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had refused to sign a previous SCO communiqué in June that omitted the Pahalgam attack but mentioned terror incidents in Pakistan.
In an apparent bid to maintain balance, the Tianjin Declaration also condemned recent terror attacks within Pakistan, including the Jaffer Express bombing and the Khuzdar attack. It reaffirmed the SCO’s commitment to fighting terrorism, separatism, and extremism in all forms and warned against the use of such groups for “mercenary purposes.”
The declaration also underscored the “leading role of sovereign States and their competent authorities in countering terrorist and extremist threats” — reinforcing India’s argument against external interference and cross-border support to militants.