Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s refusal to sign the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) joint statement at the Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Qingdao, China, on June 26, 2025, has sent a strong diplomatic message regarding India’s stance on terrorism and cross-border attacks.

The primary reason for India’s decision was the draft document’s omission of any reference to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack of April 22, 2025, in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives, including that of a Nepali national. Instead, the document included references to unrest in Balochistan, echoing Pakistan’s longstanding, but repeatedly rejected, allegations that India is involved in fomenting trouble there.

Rajnath Singh, addressing the summit, underscored that peace and prosperity cannot coexist with terrorism and that the region’s most pressing challenges stem from radicalisation, extremism, and cross-border terrorism.

He called for decisive, collective action against terror and warned against double standards, asserting that those who sponsor or shelter terrorism for narrow interests must face consequences. Singh specifically criticised the document’s failure to mention the Pahalgam attack while highlighting incidents in Pakistan, and he urged SCO member states to hold terror sponsors accountable and not to hesitate in criticizing such nations.

India’s refusal to sign the joint statement meant that the meeting concluded without a joint communique, as the SCO Charter requires consensus for adoption of such documents.

Sources indicated that China, as the current SCO Chair, and its ally Pakistan, played a role in the exclusion of the Pahalgam attack from the statement, while ensuring mention of Balochistan—moves perceived by India as attempts to dilute its firm position against terrorism and to shift focus away from cross-border terror originating from Pakistan.

This episode highlights India’s zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism and its insistence on a uniform, uncompromising approach to tackling the threat, rejecting any narrative that equates or downplays acts of terror based on political convenience.

Rajnath Singh’s stand at the SCO meeting reinforces India’s demand for global action against terrorism and its unwillingness to endorse any document that fails to address its core security concerns.

Agencies