Jaishankar Backs Rajnath Singh’s Stand on SCO Statement, Points to Pakistan's Obstruction Over Terrorism Reference

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday backed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s decision to withhold India’s signature from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) joint statement, citing the refusal of one member country to allow any mention of terrorism in the final document.

Speaking to reporters, Jaishankar emphasized that terrorism was a founding concern of the SCO and that blocking its mention undermines the group’s core purpose. “When the main purpose of the organisation is to fight terrorism, and you are not allowing a reference to that, he (Rajnath Singh) expressed his unwillingness to accept…” he said, according to news agency ANI.

Jaishankar refrained from naming the country that objected, but hinted strongly at Pakistan, saying, “You can guess which one.”

India joined the SCO in 2017 and held the rotating chairmanship in 2023. The organisation includes Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Belarus.

“SCO works by consensus. So Rajnath ji made it clear—if the statement doesn’t include any reference to terrorism, India won’t sign it,” Jaishankar said.

The impasse led to the defence ministers’ meeting in Qingdao, China, ending without a joint communique. According to a PTI report, Pakistan had pushed for the inclusion of the March 11 Jaffar Express hijacking by the Balochistan Liberation Army in the statement—interpreted as an attempt to shift blame toward India while avoiding any reference to recent terrorist attacks targeting India.

India’s own concerns, especially the Pahalgam terror attack—believed to be carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba—were left out of the draft statement. It also omitted India’s strong stance against terrorism and recent military responses.

At the meeting, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called for holding accountable the “perpetrators, organisers, financiers, and sponsors” of terrorism—remarks widely seen as a direct jab at Pakistan. “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,” he said.

He also highlighted India's recent Operation Sindoor—targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir—as a demonstration of India’s zero tolerance for terrorism. Singh said the Pahalgam attack bore the hallmarks of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s tactics.

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun were among those present at the Qingdao meeting.