New Delhi, June 26 - Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has refused to sign a joint declaration at the meeting of defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Qingdao, China, as it did not mention the Pahalgam terror attack. Sources said that a draft joint declaration on terrorism was discussed in the meeting, although it does not reflect India's position on countering terrorism.
The 'joint declaration' has been held up after India's objections. India accuses Pakistan of conspiring, aiding, abetting and financing the Pahalgam terror attack. Pakistan sought to include the March attack in Balochistan (Jaffer Express hijacking) in the SCO joint declaration and exclude the Pahalgam attack. Rajnath Singh and his delegation objected to this.
New Delhi has consistently rejected Pakistan's allegations about its involvement in Balochistan and said Islamabad needs to be introspective and stop supporting terrorism instead of shifting blame. Expressing his views earlier in the meeting, Rajnath Singh, without naming Pakistan, said that some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide sanctuary to terrorists. There should be no room for such double standards.
Pakistan is a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and its Defence Minister Khawaja Asif was present at the meeting. Sources in the Indian delegation said that "there was no meeting between Rajnath Singh and Asif." Rajnath Singh also said that countries need to counter technologies, including drones, used by terrorists to smuggle weapons and drugs across the border.
He added, “We are facing a complex web of challenges that range from international terrorism and cyber-attacks to hybrid warfare.” Rajnath Singh is currently in Qingdao, China, to attend the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting. The summit is being held to discuss issues related to regional and international security by member countries including Russia, Pakistan and China.
Established in 2001, the SCO aims to promote regional stability through cooperation. The bloc currently has 10 member countries, including Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.