Rajnath Singh's comments came weeks after the Pahalgam terror attack.
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh cited peace, security, and trust deficit as key regional challenges at SCO meet
- Mr Singh urged SCO states to reject double standards without naming Pakistan
- The April 22 Pahalgam attack killed 26 civilians, claimed by The Resistance Front linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has described peace, security, and a trust deficit as the most significant challenges confronting the region during his address at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting in China's Qingdao. Without naming Pakistan explicitly, Mr Singh highlighted India's concerns about cross-border terrorism and urged SCO member states to take a principled stand.
"Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide shelter to terrorists. There should be no place for such double standards. SCO should not hesitate to criticise such nations," Mr Singh said.
Mr Singh's comments came weeks after the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22. The attack, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians, including a Nepali national and a local pony handler, has been attributed to The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy group of the UN-designated terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). According to Mr Singh, the victims were profiled and killed based on their religious identity.
"On 22 April 2025, the terror group 'The Resistance Front' carried out a dastardly and heinous attack on innocent tourists at Pahalgam in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. 26 innocent civilians, including a Nepali national, were killed. Victims were shot at after they were profiled based on their religious identity. The Resistance Front, which is a proxy of UN UN-designated terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack," Mr SIngh said.
The two-day SCO Defence Ministers' meeting, scheduled for June 25-26, is being hosted by China in the eastern city of Qingdao. The event brought together defence ministers and senior officials from SCO's ten full member states: India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and new entrant Belarus. The meeting is held under the 2025 Chinese Chairmanship, with the theme "Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move."
"The biggest challenges in our region are related to peace, security and trust deficit," Mr Singh said. "India believes that reformed multilateralism can help build cooperation to prevent conflict between countries by creating mechanisms for dialogue and collaboration. No country, however large and powerful, can manage alone."
Mr Singh is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from China and Russia on the sidelines of the event. The agenda for these meetings includes border security, regional defence cooperation, and counter-terrorism collaboration.
