Pak listening, Rajnath to SCO: End terror, fix accountability

“If a nation shelters terrorists, it not only poses a threat to others, but for itself too,” he said, adding that radicalisation of youth is a cause for concern not only from the security point of view, but is also a major obstacle in the path of socio-economic progress of society.

“If we want to make the SCO a stronger and more credible international organisation, our top-most priority should be to effectively deal with terrorism,” he said.

Singh’s remarks came days after a terror attack in Poonch claimed the lives of five Army soldiers. While the perpetrators of the attack are yet to be identified, investigations have pointed towards the involvement of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and terrorists from across the border.

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who had been invited to SCO meeting, did not turn up. Instead, Malik Ahmed Khan,  special advisor to the Pakistan Prime Minister on defence, attended it through video conference.

Later, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane said all member states reached a consensus on several areas of cooperation, including dealing with terrorism, security of vulnerable populations in various countries as well as HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster relief). All member states, he said, were unanimous in their statements that terrorism, in all its forms, must be condemned and eliminated.

At the meeting, the ministers discussed issues of common concern including issues of regional and international security under the SCO charter.

Singh said India sees a robust framework of regional cooperation which mutually respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states by taking care of their legitimate interests.

The subject of ensuring territorial integrity was also brought up by Singh on Thursday during a bilateral meeting with General Li Shangfu, visiting State Councillor and Minister of National Defence of China, when he said that Beijing’s violation of existing agreements had eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations between India and China.

He said New Delhi strives to further bolster trust and cooperation among the members of the SCO as it believes in maintaining peace and security based on the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.

All the SCO member countries signed a protocol, expressing their collective will to make the region secure, peaceful and prosperous.

“India has always followed the principle of ‘Let us walk together & move forward together’. Every era has a zeitgeist (defining idea). The zeitgeist of the present era is ‘win-win cooperation for the great gain’,” Singh said.

He urged member countries to ensure food security under an integrated plan which will establish SCO as a role model for the whole world. To deal with the issue of climate change, he called for working on a common strategy, giving priority to mitigation and adaptation. Energy security, he said, should be a part of the common strategy.