NewsGate Press Statement

There was no joint-statement issued at the end of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting at Qingdao, China after India protested against the hosts who did not want to mention the Pahalgam terror attack but were adamant on including the Jaffar train hijack incident in Balochistan.

A joint statement would have diluted India’s position on critical issues, particularly terrorism and regional security.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who attended the two day conference in Qingdao, China, stressed the need to bring perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of terrorism to justice and asserted that “epicentres of terrorism were no longer safe and India would not hesitate to target them”.

He stated that the biggest challenges faced by the region were related to peace, security and trust-deficit, with increasing radicalisation, extremism and terrorism being the root cause of these problems, a Defence Ministry statement, meanwhile, said.

“Peace and prosperity cannot co-exist with terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of non-state actors and terror groups. Dealing with these challenges requires decisive action,” said Rajnath.

“It is imperative that those who sponsor, nurture and utilise terrorism for their narrow and selfish ends must bear the consequences. Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide shelter to terrorists. There should be no place for such double standards. SCO should not hesitate to criticise such nations,” said the Defence Minister.

He asserted that India launched Operation Sindoor in response to the heinous terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, exercising its right to defend against terrorism and pre-empt as well as deter further cross border attacks.

“During the Pahalgam terror attack, victims were shot after they were profiled on religious identity. The Resistance Front, a proxy of UN-designated terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the attack. The pattern of Pahalgam attack matches with LeT’s previous terror attacks in India. India’s zero tolerance for terrorism was demonstrated through its actions. It includes our right to defend ourselves against terrorism. We have shown that epicentres of terrorism are no longer safe and we will not hesitate to target them,” he said.

Rajnath Singh termed “any and every act of terrorism as criminal and unjustifiable” regardless of their motivation whenever, wherever and committed by whomsoever. SCO members must condemn this evil unequivocally, he said, reaffirming India’s resolve to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.