Rajnath Stands Ground At SCO Summit Over Pakistan Terror, Refuses To Sign Joint Statement

At the SCO Summit in China, India declined to sign the Joint Communiqué, taking a firm stance against terrorism.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh indirectly criticised Pakistan for supporting terrorism, stating that perpetrators and sponsors must be held accountable and some nations use it as a policy instrument.

Source : PTI

India on Thursday refused to sign the Joint Communiqué at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit being held at Qingdao, China. New Delhi took a tough stance on terrorism during the summit which was also attended by Pakistan as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the perpetrators, financiers and sponsors of terrorism must be held accountable in a veiled jibe against Islamabad. 

Addressing the conclave, 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.

As per the sources, India refused to sign the joint declaration as it wanted to include cross-border terrorism which was not mentioned in the Communiqué. According to media reports, the SCO document did not make any mention of the heinous April 22 Pahalgam attack but made direct reference to militant activities in Balochistan. 

"India is not satisfied with the language of the joint document, there was no mention of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, there was mention of the incidents that happened in Pakistan, so India refused to sign the joint declaration, and there is no joint communique either," reported ANI, quoting sources. 

Pakistan has been accusing India of backing the Balochistan freedom movement, a claim that New Delhi has categorically rejected. The 10-member bloc later decided not to issue the joint statement and according to sources an official statement may come later.