India Refuses to Sign SCO Joint Statement Over Omission of Pahalgam Attack

India on Thursday refused to sign the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ joint statement during a high-level meeting held in Qingdao, China.

The reason behind India’s move was the absence of any mention of the Pahalgam attack that occurred recently in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

The SCO meeting was attended by all member states, including Pakistan, China, Russia, and India. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif represented Islamabad, while Rajnath Singh led the Indian delegation.

This marks the first time since the Marka-e-Haq incident that senior officials from both Pakistan and India took part in the same international event. However, tensions were visible when India declined to endorse the final draft of the statement.

India raised objections to the communique for two main reasons:

1. It condemned the Jaffar Express attack, which some Indian officials say indirectly blames India for terror incidents in Balochistan.

2. It did not include any reference to the Pahalgam attack, which India sees as a major security concern.

According to Indian media outlet ANI, New Delhi believed the language of the statement was politically biased and did not represent a balanced view of recent events in the region.

Due to India’s refusal to sign, the SCO did not release a final joint declaration after the meeting. Observers are calling this a diplomatic failure for India, as the bloc did not support India’s stance or accusations against Pakistan.

The situation also highlights growing divisions within the regional alliance on issues related to terrorism and security.

This is not the first time India has distanced itself from the group’s collective voice. Earlier, the SCO issued a strong statement condemning Israeli airstrikes on Iranian soil on June 13, expressing solidarity with Iran.

While member nations like Russia and Pakistan supported the message, India stayed neutral, citing its strategic partnership with Israel. India stated that it was concerned about tensions in the Middle East but preferred to keep an independent foreign policy stance.