India left red faced at SCO meet as Pahalgam claim dropped, Balochistan concerns noted

India faced diplomatic embarrassment after its allegations linking Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack were dropped from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) joint statement, while Pakistan’s concerns over Indian-sponsored terrorism in Balochistan were acknowledged.

This reportedly forced New Delhi to withhold its signature from the document at the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting held in Qingdao, China. The Indian side blamed Pakistan for exclusion of Pahalgam episode from the document as “it’s all-weather ally, China, holds the Chair now”.

“India is not satisfied with the language of the joint document. There was no mention of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, there was mention of the incidents that happened in Pakistan, so India refused to sign the joint declaration, and there is no joint communique either,” India’s NDTV reported citing Defence Ministry sources as saying.

Pakistan storngly held India responsible for its involvement in Balochistan including the brutal attack on Jafar Express.

Rajnath Singh is currently in China’s Qingdao to attend the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting. The summit is being attended by member states, including Russia, Pakistan and China, to discuss issues related to regional and international security. Established in 2001, SCO aims to promote regional stability through cooperation. The bloc currently has 10 member states — Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The Rajnath Singh’s refusal to sign the joint statement reflects India’s diplomatic isolation after the failure of its Operation Sindoor. Earlier, eight Indian delegations were sent abroad to articulate New Delhi’s stand, but they also returned empty-handed.

The SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting diluted India’s position on critical issues, particularly the so-called terrorism mantra.