China: India has declined to sign a joint statement at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers’ meeting in China, citing the document’s failure to reflect its concerns on terrorism, specifically the recent Pahalgam attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said that the statement was not acceptable to India as it did not include issues India had raised. Randhir Jaiswal stated that, “Our concerns were not reflected. This was not acceptable to one particular country.”
According to Indian media, the joint statement referred to militant activity in Balochistan but did not include the Pahalgam attack, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists in April. India has blamed the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba for the attack. Pakistan, however, has denied any involvement.
New Delhi reportedly saw the omission as a ‘pro-Pakistan’ stance, especially as it came with heightened tensions following a cycle of violence between the two nations earlier this year.
During the meeting, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a pointed statement urging SCO member states to take a firm stand against terrorism. Rajnath Singh remarked that, “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.”
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, founded in 2001 by China, Russia, and four Central Asian countries, aims to strengthen regional cooperation and counterbalance Western influence. India and Pakistan became full members in 2017.
This year’s defence ministers’ meeting, held ahead of the SCO leaders’ summit scheduled for later this year, has further underscored the underlying tensions within the group, especially between the South Asian rivals.
Relations between India and Pakistan have been tense since the Pahalgam attack. India responded with a series of airstrikes targeting what it described as terror camps inside Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan retaliated with missile strikes and drone incursions.
The military escalation pushed the two nuclear-armed neighbours to the brink of war until a ceasefire was announced on 10 May, which US President Donald Trump claimed was brokered by Washington. India, however, has publicly denied any third-party mediation in the matter.
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