Jaishankar backs Rajnath’s refusal to sign SCO joint statement over terrorism omission
New Delhi, Jun 27: External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar on Friday defended Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s decision to withhold India’s signature from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) joint statement, citing the absence of any reference to terrorism, a core issue India believes the grouping was created to address.
According to ANI, Jaishankar said: “The SCO was formed with the objective of fighting terrorism. When Rajnath Singh went to the Defence Ministers’ Meeting and there was a discussion on the outcome document, one country said they do not want a reference to that.
Rajnath Singh’s view rightly was—without that reference, when the main purpose of the organisation is to fight terrorism, and you are not allowing a reference to that—he expressed his unwillingness to accept.” He added, “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.” Though Jaishankar did not directly name the country that objected, he remarked, “you can guess which one,” in an apparent dig at Pakistan.
India, which became a full member of the SCO in 2017 and held its rotational presidency in 2023, has consistently pushed for stronger action on terrorism within the bloc, which includes China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who attended the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Qingdao, China, on Thursday, refused to sign the joint communiqué after it omitted mention of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people, including many tourists. The SCO document, however, included a reference to the March 11 hijacking of the Jaffar Express in Pakistan by the Balochistan Liberation Army. Rajnath Singh, in his address at the meeting, reiterated India’s firm stance against terrorism. “The perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of terrorism must be held accountable,” he said, directly calling out countries that “use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide shelter to terrorists.” Singh added, “There should be no place for such double standards. The SCO should not hesitate to criticise such nations.” Rajnath Singh also used the forum to highlight Operation Sindoor, India’s recent military operation targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, launched in response to the Pahalgam 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,” he stated.
