Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Refuses To Sign SCO Summit's Joint Document As Pakistan, China Dilute India's Stand On Terrorism: Reports

Beijing: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday refused to sign the joint statement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) that would have diluted India's position on terrorism and regional stability, claimed reports citing sources. Singh attended the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting in China's Qingdao.

Notably, the joint statement did not mention the Pahalgam terror attack. However, the document included Balochistan.

Singh condemned terrorism at the meeting. He emphasised the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers, and sponsors of terrorist acts accountable and bring them to justice.

"We reiterate 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. Any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivation, whenever, wherever and by whomever committed. SCO members must condemn this evil unequivocally," said Rajnath Singh.

The Defence Minister highlighted the recent Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which was carried out by 'The Resistance Front' (TRF), a proxy of the UN-designated terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

"On 22 April 2025, the terror group 'The Resistance Front' (TRF) carried out a dastardly and heinous attack on innocent tourists at Pahalgam in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. 26 innocent civilans, including a Nepali national, were killed. Victims were shot at after they were profiled based on religious identity. The Resistance Front which is a proxy of UN designated terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) claimed responsibility for the attack," added Singh.

During the summit, Singh also talked about India's Operation Sindoor on May 7 targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

"The pattern of Pahalgam terror attack matches with LeT's previous terror attacks in India. In exercising its right to defend against terrorism and pre-empt as well as deter further cross border terrorist attacks, India on 07th May 2025 successfully launched Op Sindoor to dismantle cross border terrorist infrastructure," said Singh.

The bloc currently has 10 member states - India, China, Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Published on: Thursday, June 26, 2025, 10:50 AM IST