India has declined to endorse the joint declaration at the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting. The rejection is due to India’s dissatisfaction with the declaration’s content, specifically the omission of the Pahalgam terrorist attack and the inclusion of a reference to Balochistan. The document’s silence on the Pahalgam attack, coupled with the mention of Balochistan, was interpreted as a subtle criticism of India. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh represented India at the SCO meeting in Qingdao, China, on June 26.
Singh used the platform to strongly condemn terrorism, referring to the Pahalgam attack and India’s response via ‘Operation Sindoor.’ He criticized countries that harbor terrorists, calling for the SCO to condemn such behavior and reject any double standards on the issue. He advocated for unity and collaborative action to combat terrorism. Singh added that the Pahalgam attack mirrored previous LeT attacks, which prompted India to launch Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, aimed at dismantling cross-border terrorist infrastructure.