India on Thursday refused to sign a joint statement put before members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a regional bloc, saying it was pro-Pakistan in not mentioning April’s terror attack on Indian tourists.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the statement diluted India’s position on critical issues such as terrorism and regional security, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to speak to the media.
The April 22 attack in which mostly Hindu tourists were killed occurred in the Indian-administered Kashmir, where New Delhi maintains more than half a million troops.
But India blamed Pakistan for backing the terrorists. Islamabad denies this charge and says New Delhi has not shared any conclusive evidence showing a connection between the attackers and Pakistan.
Singh alleged that the joint SCO statement “suited Pakistan’s narrative” because it did not include the Kashmir attack but mentioned terrorist activities in Balochistan, the person said.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused India of backing the separatists in Balochistan. India denies the allegation.
The signing ceremony came during a meeting of defence ministers of the SCO, a regional grouping formed by China and Russia.
This is the first time since last month’s intense military standoff between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan that the defence ministers from both countries are attending a high-level summit.
Singh, without explicitly naming Pakistan, urged the SCO to criticise countries that use “cross-border terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide shelter to terrorists.” He said members should unite in eliminating terrorism and ensure accountability for those who aid such activities.
According to Geo TV, speaking at an earlier event, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khwaja Asif said: “The international community should ensure a peaceful resolution of the long-standing unresolved conflicts of Kashmir [as such] unresolved conflicts remain a constant threat to global peace and security.”
He added that terrorism was a common threat which needed to be dealt with collectively.
“All states should refrain from politicising joint efforts against terrorism,” the minister added.
Talking about the Kashmir attack, Asif said that Pakistan condemned the terrorist attack.
The April 22 killings embroiled the two neighbouring states in the most serious military confrontation in decades. After days of exchanging fire, they agreed to end all military actions under a US-brokered ceasefire.
Thursday’s meeting took place in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao, home to China’s northern fleet.
On Wednesday, Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun held one-on-one meetings with his counterparts from Belarus, Iran, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. India, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are also members.
“Unilateralism and protectionism are surging, while hegemonic, high-handed, and bullying acts severely undermine the international order, making these practices the biggest sources of chaos and harm,” Dong said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency, in a swipe at the US and its allies.
