Rajnath Singh Refuses To Sign SCO Document As It Removed Pahalgam And Included Balochistan

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in China took a firm stance and refused to sign the joint document as it tried to remove the reference to Pahalgam and include Balochistan. He stated that India has zero tolerance for terrorism and will not hesitate to strike back against terror safe havens.    

This means there will be no joint statement after the SCO defence ministers' meeting. During the meeting, Rajnath Singh took a firm position, making it clear that India will not accept any efforts to downplay terrorism or compromise its sovereignty.  "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 stated. 

“Any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivation whenever, wherever and by whom-so-ever committed. SCO members must condemn this evil unequivocally. We reiterate the need to hold the perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of reprehensible acts of terrorism, including cross border terrorism accountable and bring them to justice," said Singh. 

While he didn’t name any countries, the Indian Defense Minister also criticised countries that leverage terrorism as a tool of policy. “Some nations use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of their policies and provide shelter to terrorists. These double standards are completely unacceptable. The SCO should not hesitate to call out such nations,” he remarked.

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