India Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is said to have turned down the signing of the joint statement released at the end of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers Meeting at Qingdao, China, on June 25- 26. The action is a protest to the fact that there was no express statement or a plan to fight the ever-rising problem of cross-border terrorism, one of the major points voiced by India during the summit.
A source well-versed with the development said Rajnath Singh was opposed to signing the final communique as it did not represent Indian interests, especially on the issue of terrorism that originated on the other side of the border. India had also expressed its concerns regarding the persistence of the menace of terrorism, citing the recent acts of terror like the inhuman terror attack in Pahalgam and the very old tensions with Pakistan.
In the high-level meeting, which was attended by member states’ defence leaders, including China, Russia, and various countries of the Central Asia region, India pointed out the development of a clear, uncompromising, and collective approach to terror in whatever form. Nonetheless, it was noted that the original draft of the statement did not contain any direct references either to cross-border terrorism or a tangible plan on how to fight it.
Due to the unwillingness of Singh, there was no joint declaration at the summit, which is very rare to see in cases of an increase in disunity on matters of security and terrorism in the bloc. The move by India further indicates clearly that India is not mincing words; before a multilateral security arrangement, the terrorism threat ought to be taken seriously and presented in a rather sincere manner.
This trend is also an indication that India is getting weary of making symbolic proclamations that are not reflected in actual practice, particularly on issues that directly affect its national security. The action is being interpreted as a courageous and principled stand, which further entrenched the Indian stand on counter-terrorism both on the global and regional platforms.
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