A day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh refused to sign a joint communique of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) following the omission of the Pahalgam terror attack and not explicitly addressing India's concerns over Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism, Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said India wanted a reference to terrorism in the outcome document of the SCO defence ministers' meeting, but it was not acceptable to one member country, an oblique reference to Pakistan.
Jaishankar says Rajnath's view on the matter was right
He further added that 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 it (on India's concerns on terrorism), he would not accept the outcome document.
The objective of the SCO that runs through consensus was to fight terrorism, Jaishankar said in a press conference when asked about Singh's stand.
"In the discussion on outcome document of the defence ministers' meeting, one country -- you can guess which one -- said 'no we don't want reference to that'," he said.
Rajnath refuses to sign joint communique at SCO
It should be noted that Rajnath 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, Rajnath 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.
The SCO runs by unanimity, Jaishankar said, but when one country said it will not accept any mention of terrorism, Singh communicated that the outcome document was not acceptable to India.
Rajnath slams Pakistan for backing terrorist groups
In his address at the conclave, Rajnath Singh took a swipe at Pakistan for backing terrorist groups, as he called for holding accountable the "perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors" of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism.
Highlighting India's Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam strike, the defence minister said, "Epicentres of terrorism are no longer safe, and we will not hesitate to target them."
"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. The SCO should not hesitate to criticise such nations," he said.
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