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Business Standard
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Rajnath refuses to sign SCO communique over exclusion of Pahalgam attack
Defence Minister Rajanth Singh on Thursday refused to sign a joint communique of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at a meeting of its defence ministers in Qingdao, China, because it had omitted the Pahalgam terror attack and had not explicitly addressed India's concern over Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism. While Singh demanded including the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, in which terrorists killed 26 people, in the communique, the Pakistani delegation insisted on the document having a paragraph on militant activities in Balochistan. Pakistan had in the past accused India of fomenting militancy in Balochistan. 'The SCO Defence Ministers' meeting took place in China. We understand that the member countries could not reach a consensus on certain issues and hence the document could not be finalised,' Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said here. The SCO operates under the framework of consensus, and Singh's refusal to endorse the document resulted in the SCO defence ministers' conclave in this Chinese port city ending without a joint communique. India became a full member of the SCO in 2017. Its other members include Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Belarus. Singh is on a two-day visit to China, the first by an Indian defence minister since the Galwan River valley clash in 2020. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had skipped the previous SCO summit in 2024, in Astana. China will host this year's SCO summit in Tianjin. Expectations are that Modi will attend it, given India and China's recent efforts at improving their ties after he and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Russia in October. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on June 23 on the sidelines of a meeting of the security-council secretaries of the SCO. Singh separately met Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov in Qingdao, and said in a social media post that the talks would boost Russia-India ties. In his address at the conclave, Singh took a swipe at Pakistan for its relentless support to cross-border terrorism and underlined the need to bring 'perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of terrorism to justice'. '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. The SCO should not hesitate to criticise such nations,' he said. The defence minister, who arrived in Qingdao on Wednesday, laid down the broad contours of India's 'transitional shift' in its policy against terrorism and urged the SCO member nations to unite in combating and shun 'double standards'. '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,' he said. Singh also said that the pattern of the Pahalgam terror attack matched Lashkar-e-Taiba's previous terror attacks in India. 'During the Pahalgam terror attack, victims were shot after they were profiled on religious identity. The Resistance Front, a proxy of United Nations-designated terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba claimed responsibility for the attack,' he said. 'The joint statement of the Council of SCO Heads of State on 'Countering Radicalisation leading to Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism' issued during India's chairmanship symbolises our shared commitment,' he stated.
New Indian Express
16 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
India refuses to sign SCO joint declaration in protest against diluted stand on terrorism
NEW DELHI: India at the SCO Summit decided not to sign the Joint Declaration post the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting at Qingdao, China. Sources said this decision was 'in protest of dilution of Indian stand on terrorism.' In his address at the summit on Thursday Rajanth Singh emphasized that SCO members must condemn this evil unequivocally, he said, reaffirming India's resolve to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations' in addition to reiterating 'the need to hold the perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of reprehensible acts of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, accountable and bring them to justice. He termed any and every act of terrorism as criminal & unjustifiable regardless of their motivation whenever, wherever and committed by whom-so-ever. Addressing the Defence Ministers, SCO Secretary General, Director Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) of SCO and other distinguished delegates, Rajanth Singh stated that the biggest challenges faced by the region are related to peace, security and trust-deficit, with increasing radicalisation, extremism & terrorism being the root cause of these problems.
Hindustan Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Rajnath Singh urges watchdog IAEA to take charge of Pakistan's nuclear weapons
Defence minister Rajanth Singh on Thursday urged the International Atomic Energy Agency or IAEA to take charge of Pakistan's nuclear weapons, days after the nuclear-armed neighbours ended their worst military conflict in nearly three decades. Rajnath Singh kick-started a crucial visit to Jammu and Kashmir to take stock of the overall security situation, especially along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border. It is his first trip to Jammu and Kashmir since Operation Sindoor, Top military officials will brief the defence minister on various aspects of the prevailing security situation, officials said. The defence minister will review the overall situation as well as combat readiness of the frontline troops at the Indian Army's XV Corps in Srinagar. India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure early on May 7 following which Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Pakistani actions were strongly responded to by the Indian side. The Indian military targeted eight Pakistani air bases with missiles and other long-range weapons on May 10 in retaliation for Pakistan's attempts to strikes 26 military facilities. The hostilities ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions following talks between the Director Generals of Military Operations of both sides on the afternoon of May 10.
Hindustan Times
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Operation Sindoor: PM Modi chairs high-level meeting
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting of senior officials and the three service chiefs to take stock of the situation on the ground on Sunday, a day after Pakistan reneged on the ceasefire agreement. The meeting had defence minister Rajanth Singh, national security advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, external affairs minister S Jaishankar, and chief of defence staff, General Anil Chauhan, in attendance. Hours after India announced that it has agreed to a ceasefire and halting military action on 'land and in the air and sea' with effect from 5 pm on Saturday, Pakistan carried out a spate of attacks along the border. Blackouts had to be imposed in large parts of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and some parts of Rajasthan. On Sunday, India reiterated that there would be no let-up in vigil and the response to any aggression from Pakistan would be met with a befitting response. People familiar with the matter in the government said PM Modi is learnt to have told the service chiefs to strongly retaliate to Pakistan's aggression and respond with proportionate force. Conveying that it would not brook any transgression along the border, India asked Pakistan to take 'appropriate steps' to address these ceasefire violations and respond with 'seriousness and responsibility'. According to people aware of the details, no violations have been reported along the border since last night, but the forces are vigilant. Rajanth Singh also attended a meeting at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda's residence later in the day, which included Union home minister Amit Shah. This was the first such meeting of the BJP brass since India initiated Operation Sindoor against terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). 'The meeting was called to draw up a communication strategy for the party and to take stock of the situation on the ground. Earlier, before the ceasefire was announced, the party had planned to take out Tiranga Yatras across the country and organise special prayers in temples, gurudwaras and other places of worship,' said a party functionary aware of the details.
India Gazette
08-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Large number of terrorists killed": Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hails Indian Forces on Operation Sindoor
New Delhi [India], May 8 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajanth Singh on Thursday hailed India's Armed forces for successfully targeting and destroying terror camps in Pakistan and PoK under Operation Sindoor. 'It is a matter of pride for us,' he said Addressing the National Quality Conclave at DRDO, Singh said that the nine terrorist camps were destroyed and 'a significant number of terrorists' killed in the operation. 'I congratulate the armed forces for the action they took yesterday and the courage and bravery they showed. Terror camps in Pakistan and PoK have been neutralised, it is a matter of pride for us,' the Defence Minister said. 'The precision with which Operation Sindoor was executed is unimaginable, very praiseworthy. Nine terrorist camps were destroyed in it and a significant number of terrorists were killed. This operation was carried out without harming any innocents and with minimum collateral damage,' Singh said. Early on May 7 morning, India executed a coordinated assault using long-range high-precision strike weapons, destroying nine sites in Pok and deep inside Pakistan in an operation codenamed 'Sindoor'. Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets on the night of May 7. Over 100 terrorists were eliminated in a series of precision strikes launched in the early hours of Wednesday, according to sources. The operation, aimed at avenging the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed, remains underway, making it challenging to provide an exact casualty count of the terrorists at this stage, sources further stated. Following the operation, military targets were engaged in Northern and Western India, including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, using drones and missiles. These were neutralised by the Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems. The debris of these attacks is now being recovered from a number of locations that prove the Pakistani attacks. Indian Air Force S-400 Sudarshan Chakra air defence missile systems were fired last night against targets moving towards India. The targets were successfully neutralised in the operation, multiple domain experts told ANI. An official Government confirmation is awaited. This morning, the Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. Indian response has been in the same domain with same intensity as Pakistan. It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised. (ANI)
