India’s refusal to sign the joint statement at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting in Qingdao, China, stemmed from its insistence that the document explicitly address terrorism, particularly cross-border terrorism, and hold perpetrators accountable.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India had pushed for strong language in the joint declaration to reflect its concerns about terrorism, but this proposal was “not acceptable to one particular country,” which prevented the required consensus for adoption of the statement.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, representing India at the meeting, reiterated the country's firm stance against terrorism in his address. He called upon all SCO member states to unite in combating terrorism in “all its forms and manifestations,” and emphasized the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers, and sponsors of terrorism—including those responsible for cross-border attacks—accountable and bring them to justice.

Singh specifically referenced the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 civilians, including a Nepali national.

He highlighted that while the draft joint statement included references to incidents in Pakistan, it did not mention this recent attack in India, further influencing India’s decision not to endorse the document.

Singh also warned of the dangers posed by terror groups gaining access to weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), stating that peace and prosperity cannot coexist with terrorism and the proliferation of WMDs in the hands of non-state actors. He stressed that dealing with these challenges requires decisive action and that the SCO must reject double standards in the fight against terrorism, holding all sponsors and enablers accountable.

The SCO, which operates on the principle of consensus, could not finalize the joint statement due to the lack of agreement among member states on the inclusion of India’s concerns.

This episode underscores India’s unwavering position on zero tolerance for terrorism and its demand for collective regional action, while also highlighting persistent divisions within the SCO on how to address the issue, particularly when it involves cross-border terrorism and state sponsorship.

Based On ANI Report