At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting in Qingdao, China, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh delivered a strong rebuke to Pakistan for its continued support of cross-border terrorism. The meeting, which brought together defence ministers from the SCO's ten member states, including China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran and others, served as a platform for India to voice its concerns over regional security and stability, particularly in the wake of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.
Singh, without directly naming Pakistan, asserted that some countries were using cross-border terrorism as an instrument of state policy and providing shelter to terrorists. He argued that there should be no tolerance for such double standards and urged the SCO to openly criticize such nations. He directly referenced the April 22 terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists, and drew parallels to previous attacks by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a known Pakistan-based terror group. He stated that the pattern of the Pahalgam terror attack matched with LeT's previous terror attacks in India.
The Defence Minister defended India's recent military actions, specifically "Operation Sindoor" launched on May 7, 2025, as a legitimate response to dismantle cross-border terrorist infrastructure. He said that in exercising its right to defend against terrorism and pre-empt as well as deter further cross border terrorist attacks, India successfully launched Operation Sindoor to dismantle cross border terrorist infrastructure. He emphasized that India has shown that epicentres of terrorism are no longer safe and India will not hesitate to target them.
Singh's address underscored India's commitment to a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism, asserting that any acts of terror are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of motivation. He reiterated the need to hold the perpetrators, organizers, financiers, and sponsors of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice. He also called for greater unity among SCO members in facing threats to peace and stability, identifying increasing radicalization, extremism, and terrorism as the root causes of the challenges in the region. "Peace and prosperity cannot co-exist with terrorism," he said.
The Indian Defence Minister refused to sign the SCO document, as China and Pakistan tried to divert attention from terrorism in the SCO document, skipping any mention of the Pahalgam attack, and instead mentioning Balochistan, a veiled attempt to accuse India of creating unrest in the Pakistani province. Due to divergence on the issue of terrorism, the SCO decided not to issue a joint statement.
Adding to the tension, this SCO meeting marked the first time that Rajnath Singh and his Pakistani counterpart, Khawaja Asif, were present at the same event since the recent military conflict. While some reports suggested a possible bilateral meeting between the two, Pakistan's Foreign Office clarified that no such meeting was scheduled. Despite the lack of direct engagement, their presence at the summit highlighted the ongoing challenges in India-Pakistan relations, particularly in the context of regional security and counter-terrorism efforts.
