India seeks SCO's condemnation on Pahalgam, Pak pushes for Jaffar Express attack: Reports

IANS June 18, 2025 367 views

India has formally requested the SCO to condemn the Pahalgam terror attack in its upcoming summit documents. Pakistan countered by pushing for inclusion of the Jaffar Express hijacking in the same statement. The SCO’s anti-terror body RATS is expected to address these concerns during high-level meetings. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will represent India at the SCO Defence Ministers’ meet in China later this month.

"India’s own position on the matter had been articulated by us on June 13, 2025, and remains the same." – MEA Statement
New Delhi, June 18: India has called for a reference to the Pahalgam terror attack in one of the documents to be presented during the upcoming summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) under the chairmanship of China, according to media reports.

Key Points

1

India demands SCO condemnation of Pahalgam terror attack

2

Pakistan counters with Jaffar Express hijacking reference

3

SCO RATS likely to address terror concerns

4

Rajnath Singh to attend SCO Defence Minister meet

Following this, Pakistan also pushed for a mention of the hijacking of the Jaffar Express and a recent bus attack carried out by the Baloch rebels in the same document.

According to the reports, India has urged that the official outcome statement of the upcoming SCO summit should include a condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 tourists were brutally killed by heavily armed terrorists from Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba's offshoot, The Resistance Front.

Individuals familiar with the development have said that serious discussions are underway to include India's proposal to mention the terror attack in the document, as any failure to do so, as per media reports, may undermine the SCO proceedings.

The SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation established on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai.

The member states of SCO include India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.

The multilateral forum also has a permanent organ, the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, which serves to promote cooperation of member states against terrorism, separatism and extremism.

Reports suggest that since RATS addresses terror-related concerns, India's request to include the reference condemning the April 22 attack is entirely valid.

Later this month, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit China for the SCO Defence Minister meet, which will be followed by the SCO National Security Advisers' (NSA) meeting.

Earlier on Saturday, India opted out of the SCO joint statement regarding the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that India did not participate in the discussions on the statement.

According to the MEA, the overall position of India, on the matter was communicated to the SCO members.

"The SCO has issued a statement on recent developments between Israel and Iran. India's own position on the matter had been articulated by us on June 13, 2025, and remains the same. We urge that channels of dialogue and diplomacy be utilised to work towards de-escalation, and it is essential that the international community undertake endeavours in that direction," read the statement issued by the MEA.

"The External Affairs Minister, too, discussed this matter with his Iranian counterpart yesterday and conveyed the deep concern of the international community at the turn of events. He also urged the avoidance of any escalatory steps and an early return to diplomacy," the statement added.

Reader Comments

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Rahul K.
India is absolutely right to demand condemnation of Pahalgam attack at SCO. How can Pakistan talk about Jaffar Express when their soil is used to launch terror attacks against us? China should show neutrality as SCO chair instead of playing favorites. 🇮🇳
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Priya M.
While I support our government's stand, I hope our diplomats also raise concerns about Chinese infrastructure projects in PoK during SCO meetings. We can't ignore that elephant in the room while discussing terrorism.
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Arjun S.
SCO needs to prove its credibility. If it can't even condemn clear acts of cross-border terrorism, what's the use of this organization? Pakistan's whataboutery won't work this time - Pahalgam victims deserve justice.
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Sunita R.
Interesting to see how China will handle this. They claim to be against terrorism but have blocked UN sanctions against Pakistani terrorists multiple times. Hope our NSA and Defense Minister make strong points during the meetings.
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Vikram J.
While I stand with India's position, we must also be careful not to isolate ourselves in multilateral forums. Our decision to opt out of the Israel-Iran statement shows independent thinking, but we need more allies on terror issues.
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Neha P.
The Pahalgam attack was heartbreaking 💔 Tourists from across India visit Kashmir believing in improved security, and then this happens. Our government is right to push for international condemnation. Hope SCO members show some spine against terrorism.

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Tags:
SCO summit Pahalgam attack Jaffar Express India Pakistan Rajnath Singh Lashkar-e-Taiba RATS