India has stood firm at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declined to sign the final joint statement. He objected to the fact that the document made no reference to terrorism, especially the April 22 Pahalgam attack that claimed the lives of 26 individuals, who were largely tourists. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar subsequently supported Rajnath Singh’s move, disclosing one member nation insisted on deleting any mention of terrorism.
That position directly contradicted the SCO’s core purpose, as member states established the group to fight terrorism. Consequently, the meeting concluded without a joint statement.
Terrorism Was Left Out
Addressing the issue, S. Jaishankar referred to the fundamental contradiction. He stated that the SCO was established with a central aim — combating terrorism. But one member nation demanded that the outcome document did not mention it at all. He did not specify the nation, but the denial broke the whole consensus.
India considered this exclusion unacceptable. Rajnath Singh, who represented India at the meeting in Qingdao, China, openly protested signing an agreement that did not mention the urgent matter of terrorism. The reason for his protest was the recent Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, terrorist attack that took the lives of 26 individuals.
SCO Runs on Unanimity
S. Jaishankar recalled the media that the SCO operates exclusively on unanimous decisions. India did not concur with the omission of terrorism, so the members could not approve the statement. Lack of consensus prevented the launch of a joint declaration by the defence ministers.
Who is the Blockage?
While S. Jaishankar did not specifically mention the country, the circumstances indicate China as the possible mover. The meeting has been held in China. And with Pakistan being a member as well, both nations have generally stood in the way of India‘s moves to name and shun terror organizations in multilateral settings.
This firm denial is a message. India will not sign any joint statements watering down the international vow to combat terrorism. New Delhi drew a clear line: terrorism cannot be glossed over — not even in diplomacy.