India Faces Diplomatic Setback at SCO Defence Ministers

ISLAMABAD:
India faced a significant diplomatic blow on Thursday at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting after member states refused to support New Delhi’s stance against Pakistan, disrupting the possibility of a consensus-based joint communiqué.

The two-day summit, held in Qingdao, China, brought together defence ministers from the 10 SCO member states, including China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and India. However, the meeting concluded without a joint statement, as India refused to sign the draft, objecting to references that acknowledged terrorist incidents in Pakistan, particularly Balochistan, while excluding the recent Pahalgam attack that India wanted to highlight.

Despite India’s efforts, the draft statement made no mention of the Pahalgam incident, which New Delhi attributes to Pakistan. Conversely, it included references to acts of terrorism targeting Pakistan. All member states except India endorsed the statement, compelling the Chinese hosts to forgo issuing the final communiqué due to India’s objections.

Diplomatic sources described the outcome as a major success for Pakistan and an embarrassment for India, whose attempts to politicise the meeting and frame Islamabad failed to gain traction among other SCO nations.

While Indian media sought to spin the development as India “standing firm,” former Indian foreign minister Yaswant Sinha sharply criticised the Modi administration. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Sinha wrote:

“India stands completely isolated at the global stage. The SCO communiqué is the latest example where the terror attack at Pahalgam has been ignored and Balochistan has been mentioned. The prime minister has failed completely and must resign.”

One key reason behind India’s isolation was its inability to provide credible evidence linking Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in his address to the meeting, reiterated general accusations about cross-border terrorism but failed to offer new or compelling arguments.

Singh stated that terrorism must be combated collectively and called on members to hold accountable those who support or harbour terrorists, though he avoided explicitly naming Pakistan.

“Peace and prosperity cannot co-exist with terrorism… Dealing with these challenges requires decisive action,” he said in a statement issued by India’s Defence Ministry.

In response, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif used his address to firmly counter Singh’s narrative. Without mincing words, he condemned terrorism in the disputed and occupied region of Kashmir, describing it as a threat to regional peace.

“We call upon all states to hold accountable those who planned, financed, and sponsored attacks such as the Jaffar Express bombing in Balochistan,” Asif said.

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to SCO’s core objectives and urged the international community to focus on resolving long-standing conflicts like Kashmir, which he described as a persistent threat to global peace and security.

Asif also emphasised the importance of collective, depoliticised efforts against terrorism, warning against using platforms like the SCO to advance unilateral political agendas.