Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday (June 27, 2025) said India wanted a reference to terrorism in the outcome document of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting, but it was not acceptable to one member country, an oblique reference to Pakistan.
Mr. Jaishankar said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's view on the matter was right since the main purpose of SCO was to fight terrorism and without a reference to India's concerns, he would not accept the outcome document.
Rajnath Singh reaffirms India’s stand on cross-border terrorism to Chinese counterpart, stresses avoiding new complexities in ties
Mr. Singh on Thursday refused to sign a joint communique of the SCO following the omission of the Pahalgam terror attack and not explicitly addressing India's concerns over Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism.
At a conference of SCO Defence Ministers' conclave, Mr. Singh demanded inclusion of the terror attack in the communique, while the Pakistani side pressed for having a paragraph on militant activities in Balochistan in an apparent attempt to blame New Delhi, top sources said.
