SCO Summit: India nixes Pakistan-China bid to push their line on terror

NEW DELHI: Finding Pakistan teaming up with China to push its line on terrorism at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation defence ministers' meet at Qingdao, India Thursday refused to sign the proposed joint statement as it would've diluted its consistent stand on the scourge endangering regional peace and stability.

Given the SCO norm stipulating consensus, the statement couldn't be adopted despite overnight talks, as defence minister Rajnath Singh made it clear that perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of terror acts, including cross-border terrorism , must be held accountable.

Also read: ‘Proposal objected by one particular country,’ MEA on why Rajnath Singh refused to sign SCO statement

There can be no double standards on this, Singh said, speaking at the 10-nation SCO meet with his Pakistani and Chinese counterparts Khawaja Asif and Admiral Dong Jun, among others, in attendance.

Singh rejected the statement after finding that Pakistan, with help of current SCO chair China, opposed mention of the Pahalgam massacre and instead wanted "terrorist activities" in Balochistan and the situation in J&K to figure in it, sources told TOI.

Pakistan was especially keen to include Jaffar Express hijacking in its restive Balochistan province in March in the joint document. Pakistan frequently accuses India of fomenting the ongoing insurgency for greater autonomy and independence in Balochistan. India, on its part, has consistently rejected all such "baseless" allegations.

"The Indian delegation led by Rajnath Singh had serious objections to the draft joint statement and its language, which reeked of double standards in dealing with a serious issue like terrorism," a source said. External affairs ministry spokesperson said, "India wanted its concerns on terrorism reflected in the document, which was not acceptable to one particular country (Pakistan) and, thus, the statement was not adopted."

Both India and Pakistan in 2017 became full members of SCO, which also includes Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Belarus.

Speaking at the meet, Singh said peace and prosperity cannot co-exist with terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in the hands of non-state actors and terror groups. "Dealing with these challenges requires decisive action and we must unite in our fight against these evils for our collective safety and security," Singh said.

In a clear reference to Pakistan, he said, "Some countries use crossborder 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."

The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of UN designated terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) based in Pakistan, carried out the heinous attack in Pahalgam on April 22, in which 26 civilians were shot dead after being profiled on the basis of religious identity. "The pattern of Pahalgam terror attack matches with LeT's previous terror attacks in India. In exercising its right to defend against terrorism and pre-empt as well as deter further crossborder terrorist attacks, India on May 7 successfully launched Operation Sindoor to dismantle cross-border terrorist infrastructure," Singh said.

India's zero tolerance for terrorism was manifested through its actions, he said. "This includes our right to defend ourselves against terrorism. We have shown that epicentres of terrorism are no longer safe... India reaffirms its resolve to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," he added.