No mention of Pak terror: Rajnath refuses to sign SCO joint statement
New Delhi: The perpetrators and sponsors of terrorism must be held accountable, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Thursday, even as he chose not to sign a communique by the bloc for not explicitly addressing India's concerns over Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism.
The SCO operates under the framework of consensus, and Singh's refusal to endorse the document resulted in the SCO defence ministers' conclave ending without a joint communique, people familiar with the matter said.
There was no clear-cut approach to combating terrorism, including cross-border terrorist activities, they said.
The Opposition launched a scathing attack, accusing the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government of failing diplomatically to rally international support against terrorism and to hold Pakistan accountable.
In his address, Singh said there should be "no double standards" in combating terrorism and urged the SCO member nations to condemn the menace with unity.
Besides India and China, the SCO comprises Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
In an oblique reference to Pakistan, Singh said some countries are using cross-border terrorism as an "instrument of policy" to provide shelter to terrorists.
"The biggest challenges that we are facing in our region are related to peace, security and trust-deficit," he said.
"And the root cause of these problems is increasing radicalisation, extremism and terrorism." Singh said peace and prosperity cannot co-exist with terrorism and proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in the hands of non-state actors and terror groups.
"Dealing with these challenges requires decisive action, and we must unite in our fight against these evils for our collective safety and security," he said.
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