New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that “no double standards” on terrorism will be acceptable while raising the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the presence of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“Terrorism is not just a challenge to the security of a country, but a common challenge for the entire humanity. No country, no society, no citizen can consider itself safe from this. That is why India has emphasised unity in the fight against terrorism,” Modi said Monday in his address to the member-states of the SCO at the Chinese city of Tianjin.
“India has been bearing the brunt of ruthless terrorism for the last four decades. So many mothers lost their children and so many children became orphans…In such a situation, it is natural to raise the question: Can we accept the open support of terrorism by some countries?”
The Prime Minister is in China for a two-day visit till 1 September. India is one of the ten member countries of the SCO along with Pakistan, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Belarus and Iran. The SCO is one of the few multilateral groupings that both India and Pakistan are members of.
Modi proposed a greater “increase in coordination” and to take joint steps in the fight against radicalisation. “We have to say clearly, and in one voice, that no double standards on terrorism will be acceptable. We have to oppose terrorism together, in every colour and in every form. This is our responsibility towards humanity,” he added.
Twenty-six people were killed in the Pahalgam terrorist attack in April. On 7 May, India launched Operation Sindoor, striking at 10 terrorist complexes across Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and Pakistan, including Bahawalpur and Muridke.
Islamabad retaliated with strikes at civilian and military infrastructure leading to an 87-hour conflict. Eventually on 10 May, both countries reached a bilateral understanding to pause the hostilities. However, India instituted a number of punitive diplomatic measures on Islamabad including holding the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance.
In June, the SCO defence ministers’ meeting was unable to reach a consensus on a joint statement due to the language regarding condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, as reported by ThePrint earlier.
Modi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping Sunday, and also held a bilateral meeting with the leader of Myanmar, Min Aung Hlaing. On Monday, he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin before departing for India.
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Connectivity sans BRI
The PM pushed for greater connectivity among the SCO member-states without any mention of the Chinese-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as he mentioned about the Indian-led connectivity projects such as Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
“India has always believed that strong connectivity opens the doors not only to trade but also to trust and development. With this thought, we are working on initiatives like Chabahar Port and International North-South Transport Corridor. Through these, we can increase connectivity with Afghanistan and Central Asia,” Modi said.
“We believe that sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected in every connectivity effort…Connectivity that by-passes sovereignty, loses trust and meaning.”
New Delhi has maintained that the BRI, in particular its projects in Pakistan under the aegis of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is constructing infrastructure projects in PoJK, contrary to India’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
It has refused to sign onto the BRI and in the past leaders’ statements of the SCO, opted out of paragraphs supporting the Beijing-led infrastructure initiative. All the other member-states of the SCO are also a part of the BRI.
The INSTC aims to connect India to Russia via the Central Asian route. While the INSTC uses the Bandar Abbas port in Iran, India has also been developing the port of Chabahar as an alternative route to Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan.
(Edited by Tony Rai)