NEW DELHI/QINGDAO: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh delivered a strong message on terrorism during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Qingdao, China, on Thursday, indirectly targeting Pakistan in the wake of the April terror attack in Pahalgam.
Without naming Pakistan directly, Singh stated, “Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of their state policy and offer safe havens to terrorists. There must be zero tolerance for such double standards. The SCO must not shy away from calling out these nations.”
Citing the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor launched on May 7, Singh said, “The Pahalgam attack bears the hallmark of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s previous strikes. In exercising its right to self-defence and to prevent further cross-border attacks, India successfully carried out Operation Sindoor to dismantle terrorist infrastructure.”
He added, “Terrorism in all forms and manifestations is criminal and unjustifiable—regardless of the cause, location, or perpetrator. The SCO must condemn it unequivocally. We must hold the perpetrators, organizers, financiers, and sponsors of such heinous acts, including those involving cross-border terror, accountable and bring them to justice.”
Touching on broader security issues, Singh called for unity among SCO member states. “The biggest threats in our region today stem from radicalisation, extremism, and terrorism. Peace and prosperity cannot co-exist with terrorism or the spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction among non-state actors. Tackling these challenges requires decisive and collective action.”
Singh also commented on global shifts in geopolitics and the decline of multilateralism. “The world is undergoing rapid transformation. Globalisation, once a unifying force, is losing steam. The weakening of multilateral institutions has made coordinated responses to major challenges—such as post-pandemic recovery and maintaining global security—more difficult.”
Singh, who arrived in Qingdao earlier in the day, was received by Chinese Defence Minister Admiral Dong Jun. Before formal proceedings began, he joined his counterparts—including Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif—for a group photo.
The two-day SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting, running from June 25 to 26, serves as a key platform for regional defence leaders to discuss collective responses to shared security threats, particularly terrorism, and to explore avenues for military cooperation.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, established in 2001, aims to strengthen regional stability through political, security, economic, and cultural collaboration among member states. India became a full member in 2017 and has remained an active participant. It held the rotating chairmanship in 2023.
The SCO now includes ten member states: China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Belarus. It operates on the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty, non-interference in internal affairs, and equality among nations.
China is presiding over the SCO in 2025 under the theme “Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move.”
