NEW DELHI: India at the SCO Summit decided not to sign the Joint Declaration post the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting at Qingdao, China.
Sources said this decision was “in protest of dilution of Indian stand on terrorism.”
In his address at the summit on Thursday Rajanth Singh emphasized that SCO members must condemn this evil unequivocally, he said, reaffirming India’s resolve to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations” in addition to reiterating “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".
He termed any and every act of terrorism as criminal & unjustifiable regardless of their motivation whenever, wherever and committed by whom-so-ever.
Addressing the Defence Ministers, SCO Secretary General, Director Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) of SCO and other distinguished delegates, Rajanth Singh stated that the biggest challenges faced by the region are related to peace, security and trust-deficit, with increasing radicalisation, extremism & terrorism being the root cause of these problems.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, laid down the broad contours of India’s transitional shift in its policy against terrorism at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting at Qingdao, China, calling upon the member countries to unite in eliminating the menace for collective safety and security.
“Peace and prosperity cannot co-exist with terrorism and proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction in the hands of non-state actors and terror groups. Dealing with these challenges requires decisive action. It is imperative that those who sponsor, nurture and utilise terrorism for their narrow and selfish ends must bear the consequences. Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide shelter to terrorists. There should be no place for such double standards. SCO should not hesitate to criticise such nations,” said Rajnath Singh.
Defence Ministers mentioned Operation Sindoor and asserted that it was launched in response to the heinous terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, exercising its right to defend against terrorism and pre-empt as well as deter further cross-border attacks.
“During the Pahalgam terror attack, victims were shot after they were profiled on religious identity. The Resistance Front, a proxy of UN-designated terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) claimed responsibility for the attack. The pattern of the Pahalgam attack matches with LeT’s previous terror attacks in India. India’s zero tolerance for terrorism was demonstrated through its actions. It includes our right to defend ourselves against terrorism. We have shown that epicentres of terrorism are no longer safe and we will not hesitate to target them,” he said.
