Rajnath Singh refuses to sign SCO statement that skips Pahalgam massacre
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New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh refused to sign a joint statement at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meet after it did not mention the deadly Pahalgam terror attack.
India’s refusal to sign the joint statement highlights the country’s firm stand against terrorism, which aligns with its message to global community following Operation Sindoor, according to NDTV.
More than neglecting Pahalgam massacre, the statement mentioned Balochistan covertly accusing India of involving in unrest in the province of Pakistan where an uprising is happening.
Exclusion of Pahalgam from the statement is reported to have been done to humour Pakistan, which is a close ally of China.
The summit, underway in China's Qingdao, is being attended by Defence Ministers of the member states, including Russia, Pakistan and China.
The bloc, established in 2001, currently has 10 member states: Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Addressing the SCO Defence Ministers' meet, Rajnath Singh urged SCO members to unite to eliminate terrorism for collective safety and security.
The summit is to discuss issues related to regional and international security.
Rajnath Singh pointed out that radicalisation, extremism and terrorism are the root cause of the problems related to peace, security and trust deficit that the region is facing.
‘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. It is imperative that those who sponsor, nurture and utilise terrorism for their narrow and selfish ends must bear the consequences. 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,’ Singh told the summit.
The Defence Minister emphasized India’s right to defend against terrorism, saying that ‘During the Pahalgam terror attack, victims were shot after they were profiled on religious identity’.