Missed opportunity: On India, the terror fight and the SCO
India should convince Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to take a strong stance against terrorism
The Qingdao meeting of Defence Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), that ended without a joint communiqué, indicates trouble within the 10-nation grouping. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was forced to withdraw from the joint declaration as it contained no reference to terrorism at the behest of “one nation” — a reference to Pakistan. This is understandable, given that the meeting comes just weeks after the Pahalgam attack, and Operation Sindoor, after which India’s resolve to fight terrorism has redoubled. What sounds more surprising is that not only did the draft resolution fail to mention terrorism but member-states including host China and Russia had even reportedly considered referring to “disturbances in Balochistan”, at the instance of Pakistan, while leaving out mentions of the Pahalgam attack and cross-border terrorism, that India asked for. This is stark given that the SCO’s founding Charter in 2002 focused on the need to build “mutual intraregional efforts to curb terrorism, separatism and extremism”, and the Director of SCO’s signature Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure was present. Statements by the SCO Secretariat and the Chinese Foreign Ministry stuck to anodyne statements such as “...cooperation ...on modern security challenges and threats”. All eyes will now be on the SCO Foreign Ministers’ July meet and the SCO Summit in August-September to see if India’s concerns are more appropriately addressed.
New Delhi must study whether there are shortcomings in delivering its message on the three-pronged “new normal” Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced after Operation Sindoor. In particular, China’s unhelpful role as Chair on the issue is disquieting, given its recent thaw with India. Unlike the SAARC grouping, where India held sway, the SCO is more focused on the original founders China, Russia and Central Asian States. Mr. Singh’s participation followed closely on the heels of India disassociating itself from a statement on Israel’s June 13 attack on SCO member Iran as it was critical of Israel. Post-Operation Sindoor, the government sent parliamentary delegations to 32 countries, but not to any SCO member-country. It is possible that the government lost a chance to give the grouping any prominence by doing so, although External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar chaired a meeting of the India-Central Asia forum in June. India’s decision to skip hosting an in-person Summit of the SCO during its turn in 2023 could also still rankle. Breaking with the grouping, which is an important regional forum, will simply leave an open platform for Pakistan. Instead of crying foul, the government must convince members that their interests lie in strengthening cross-regional support against terrorism.