India Declines SCO Document Addressing Balochistan Terrorism

• SCO joint statement omits Pahalgam incident.
• Forum decided against releasing a joint statement following India’s non-approval.
• New Delhi calls on member states to adopt a principled approach to terrorism.

On Thursday, local reports indicated that India refrained from endorsing a joint statement during a significant Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting in China. The refusal stemmed from references to terrorist activities in Pakistan’s Balochistan, alongside the absence of any mention of the Pahalgam incident, which resulted in the deaths of several tourists in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the Times of India, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting in Qingdao, which included ministers from 10 member countries—among them Russia, China, India, and Pakistan. The gathering resolved not to issue a joint statement due to disagreements regarding the terrorism issue.

This follows Pakistan’s Foreign Office announcement that Defence Minister Khawaja Asif would represent Islamabad at the SCO meeting, although no meeting between him and Minister Singh was scheduled.

The announcement came after Turkish media suggested that a meeting between the Pakistani and Indian defence ministers could occur, marking a significant event following recent armed confrontations between the two nuclear-armed nations, which involved cross-border strikes.

Prior to this, Pakistan’s National Security Advisor (NSA) Lt Gen Asim Malik attended the 20th meeting of the Security Council Secretaries of SCO Member States on Tuesday in Beijing. During his visit, the NSA engaged with Chinese leaders, delivered a crucial speech on Pakistan’s perspective regarding global and regional issues, and sought to strengthen bilateral and security cooperation with key SCO nations.

At the SCO meeting, Singh highlighted India’s concerns over terrorism and urged member countries to take a principled approach on the issue, as reported by NDTV.

“The most significant challenges we face in our region pertain to peace, security, and a deficit in trust. India believes that reformed multilateralism can foster cooperation to avert conflicts and establish frameworks for dialogue and collaboration,” remarked the Indian Defence Minister.