India’s strong stand at SCO underlines its approach to terrorism signalling its assertive foreign policy posture
There has been a paradigm shift in India’s approach to foreign policy post Pahalgam massacre. The country has taken and rightly so, a zero tolerance policy towards terrorism. It is unflinching in its approach to condemn terrorism on all international fora. It was once again at display in China. At the recently concluded Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting held in Qingdao, China on June 26, 2025, India refused to sign the joint declaration — a move that underscores its principled stance on terrorism and regional security. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, representing India, chose not to endorse the final communiqué, citing the deliberate exclusion of India’s terrorism-related concerns from the draft; an issue India considers critical to regional peace and stability. This lack of consensus made it impossible for the declaration to be adopted unanimously. The SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting brought together representatives from major regional powers, including China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and several Central Asian nations.
It was expected to culminate in a joint declaration reinforcing collective commitment to peace, security, and cooperation in the region. However, the talks stumbled when India pressed for strong language condemning terrorism, particularly cross-border terrorism and the threat of non-state actors accessing weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). One member state’s opposition to these inclusions — especially the reference to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, which killed several tourists — led to a diplomatic impasse.
In his address, Rajnath Singh made India’s position clear. He called for accountability for “perpetrators, organisers, financers, and sponsors” of terrorism and insisted that no compromise should be made when it comes to combating this menace. He warned about the risks of WMDs falling into the hands of terrorist organisations, stressing the urgent need for collective, decisive action. India’s objection also stemmed from what it considered a clear imbalance in the draft declaration.
While it allegedly included references to terror incidents in Pakistan, it omitted any mention of the Pahalgam attack in India. This, New Delhi argued, undermined the credibility of the statement. India maintained that a credible security declaration must address all instances of terrorism without exception or political convenience. The failure to do so prompted India to withhold its signature. India’s refusal to toe the line reflects its increasingly assertive foreign policy . Rather than yielding for the sake of consensus, New Delhi chose to send a clear message: counter-terrorism cannot be diluted or selectively applied in regional diplomacy. While this move might strain relations with some member countries, particularly Pakistan and possibly China — the host of the event — it also positions India as a nation willing to take principled stands even on contentious multilateral platforms. As the SCO continues to grapple with internal divides and conflicting priorities among members, India’s position may act as an catalyst, a much-needed conversation on the need for integrity and unanimity in confronting the global threat of terrorism.
