India refused to sign SCO statement as it did not reflect stance on terrorism, says MEA
India did not sign a joint statement at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Defence Ministers' meeting held in China as the document did not reflect New Delhi's position against terror, said the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday.
'India wanted concerns and terrorism reflected in the document, which was not acceptable to one particular country,' said Randhir Jaiswal, the ministry's spokesperson, during a press briefing.
The joint statement reportedly did not contain references to the Pahalgam terror attack that took place on April 22 and killed 26 persons, according to The Indian Express.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a regional inter-governmental body, was established in 2001. Its members are India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Belarus.
At the organisation's meeting in Qingdao, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called upon the member countries to come together to 'fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations', Jaiswal said during the briefing.
Singh also reiterated the need to uphold that the 'perpetrators, organisers, financers and sponsors of reprehensible acts of terrorism', including cross-border terrorism, need to be held accountable and brought to justice, the spokesperson added.
The defence minister mentioned during the meeting that the region's biggest challenges are related to peace, security and trust deficits, with increasing radicalisation, extremism and terrorism being the root cause of these problems, The Indian Express reported.
'Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of police and provide shelter to terrorists,' Singh said, in an indirect reference to Pakistan, according to the newspaper. 'There should be no place for such double standards. SCO [Shanghai Cooperation Organisation] should not hesitate to criticise such nations'.
The defence minister also talked about Operation Sindoor, saying that India launched its strikes in response to the Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir. India exercised its right to defend against terrorism and pre-empt as well as deter further cross-border attacks, the newspaper quoted him as saying.
The terror attack at Baisaran near the town of Pahalgam on April 22 left 26 persons dead and 16 injured. The terrorists targeted tourists after asking their names to ascertain their religion, the police said. All but three of those killed were Hindu.
In retaliation, the Indian military on May 7 carried out strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The Pakistan Army retaliated to Indian strikes by repeatedly shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. At least 22 Indian civilians and eight defence personnel were killed.
On May 10, India and Pakistan reached an 'understanding' to halt firing following a four-day conflict.
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