Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday refused to sign a joint-declaration that was to be issued after Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting got over at Qingdao, China, on Thursday.
It is rare not to have a unanimous statement on the outcome of the Defence Ministers’ meeting.
India’s concerns
India wanted reference of the Pahalgam terror attack in the joint-declaration, which was scuttled by Pakistan with the tacit support of China, prompting the Indian Defence Minister to abstain from signing the joint-declaration, said sources.
The MEA said India’s concerns on terrorism were not “acceptable to one particular country” during discussion on joint-declaration, which eluded consensus needed for adoption of the document.
China, at the behest of Pakistan, was not averse to inserting in the document unrest in Balochistan to embarrass India at the high table, sources added.
“The Defence Minister, in his address, called upon these 11 countries to come together to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations... He also reiterated the need to uphold that the perpetrators, organisers, financers, sponsors of reprehensible acts of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, need to be held accountable and brought to justice,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters.
In his address at the SCO meeting, Singh drew the attention of the signatory countries towards that when he said India supports greater cooperation and mutual trust among SCO members.
“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,” he stated.
“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,” he emphasised.
Pahalgam attack
The Minister also spoke about the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack to underline that tourists were profiled on the basis of their religion before killing them. “With Operation Sindoor, India exercised its right to defend against terrorism and pre-empt & deter further cross border attacks,” he said.
Singh obliquely cautioned Pakistan, as he insisted that epicentres of terrorism are no longer safe. “We will not hesitate to target them,” he reiterated India’s resolve.
The Minister also had bilateral meetings on the sidelines separately with defence ministers of Russia, China and Belarus. Singh did not have bilateral talks with Pakistan and Iran.