India has declined to endorse the joint declaration at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting. This decision stems from India’s dissatisfaction with the document’s language. The joint document reportedly failed to mention the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, while including references to incidents within Pakistan. According to reports, the document’s mention of Balochistan, without acknowledging the Pahalgam attack, was perceived as a subtle accusation against India for allegedly instigating unrest in the region. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh represented India at the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting in Qingdao, China, on June 26.
In his address to the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting, Rajnath Singh underscored India’s stance against terrorism. He highlighted the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s response through ‘Operation Sindoor’ to counter cross-border terrorism. Singh also criticized the practice of certain countries providing safe haven to terrorists, advocating for the SCO to condemn such actions and avoid double standards on terrorism. He called for collective action to combat these threats. Singh emphasized that India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, to dismantle cross border terrorist infrastructure, in response to the Pahalgam terror attack which matched with the pattern of previous attacks by the LeT.