ibn sultan
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh refused to sign the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) document that would have diluted India’s stand on terrorism and the Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 dead, sources said. Due to divergence on the issue of terrorism, the SCO decided not to issue a joint statement.
Sources said China, which holds the SCO chair, and its “all-weather friend” Pakistan tried to divert the attention from terrorism in the SCO document, skipping any mention of the Pahalgam attack. However, the document mentioned Balochistan, a veiled attempt to accuse India of creating unrest in the Pakistani province.
However, Rajnath Singh firmly stood his ground on India’s stand on terrorism.
Over the years, Pakistan has claimed that India supported the Baloch armed groups in the province. However, India has maintained that it was an internal issue of Pakistan.
The SCO Summit, held in Qingdao, China, saw the Indian and Pakistani defence ministers come face-to-face for the first time since the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. The chill was evident as no pleasantries were exchanged with Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif at the meeting, sources said.
The summit brought together defence leaders from the organisation’s ten member states, including China, Russia, Pakistan, and India.
