The failure of the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers to adopt a joint statement exposes once again the lack of consensus within the bloc on fundamental issues like terrorism. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was forced to withdraw from the joint declaration as it contained no reference to terrorism, presumably to oblige Pakistan, responsible for terror attacks in India. Surprisingly, host China along with other member-states gave importance to ‘disturbance in Balochistan’, while leaving out mentions of Pahalgam attack and cross-border terrorism that India had asked for. For India, cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan is a central security concern while Pakistan routinely denies or deflects such allegations. If SCO defence ministers cannot even acknowledge the targeting of civilians in a terrorist attack, what utility does the platform serve beyond symbolism? The SCO, founded to promote regional security and cooperation, now seems burdened by double standards. If multilateral groupings like the SCO cannot support even minimal security consensus, their strategic relevance for India will continue to decline in future.
