India has refused to sign a joint statement, which would have “diluted” its stand over the issue of terror at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting Thursday.
Government sources told ThePrint that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh objected to the attempts to dilute the issue, and downplay the dastardly 22 April Pahalgam terror attack. Both China and Pakistan pushed for dropping the mention of the Pahalgam attack, but wanted inclusion of the Jaffar Express attack in the statement, sources said.
“The Defence Minister was very clear that there cannot be double standards when it comes to terror. It is important for SCO to stand together on the issue. The threat of terror cannot be diluted,” a source explained.
Because of Singh’s refusal, no joint statement will be issued after the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting, sources said.
As reported by ThePrint, Singh said in his address at the meet that there should be no place for double standards with respect to terrorism, and SCO should not hesitate to criticise nations indulging in such acts.
Speaking at the meeting Thursday in China’s Qingdao, with Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif in attendance, Singh said that peace and prosperity cannot co-exist with terrorism and proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in the hands of non-state actors and terror groups.
He added that India’s zero tolerance for terrorism is manifest today through its actions. “This 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.