Rajnath Singh indirectly slams Pakistan at SCO, says 'epicentres of terrorism no longer safe'

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday (Jun 26) at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Defence Ministers' meeting in China's Qingdao indirectly slammed Pakistan for using "cross-border terrorism as an instrument of policy". Addressing the SCO defence minister's meeting, Singh said that India has zero tolerance for terrorism and urged the other SCO member countries to condemn terrorism. In a blunt message, Singh said that terrorism will no longer go unanswered, and those sheltering terrorists must be held to account. "We have shown that the epicentres of terrorism are no longer safe. We will not hesitate to target them," Singh said.

Watch what he said here:

While the Indian Defence Minister did not name countries, his message was pointed — and unmistakable. ""...Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide shelter to terrorists. There should be no place for such double standards. SCO should not hesitate to criticise such nations, " he told counterparts from China, Russia, and Central Asia — including Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who was also in attendance.

Singh on Globalisation and India's push for multilateralism

Welcoming Belarus to the SCO family, the Indian Defence Minister underlined the broader instability of the current global order. "Globalisation, which once brought us closer together, has been losing momentum. The weakening of multilateral systems has made it harder to address urgent challenges, from maintaining peace and security to rebuilding economies after the pandemic," he said.

India, Singh said, continues to believe that "reformed multilateralism" is the way forward. "No country, however large and powerful, can manage alone. In fact, the very idea of the global order, or indeed of multilateralism, is the assumption that nations have to work with each other for their mutual and collective benefit. This is also reflective of our age-old Sanskrit saying 'Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavantu', which implies peace and prosperity to all."

Referring to the Sanskrit saying 'Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavantu', which means peace and prosperity to all, he said, "No country, however large and powerful, can manage alone. In fact, the very idea of the global order, or indeed of multilateralism, is the assumption that nations have to work with each other for their mutual and collective benefit."

India is expected to push for a stronger, joint approach to counterterrorism during the two-day summit, which runs from June 25 to 26. The Ministry of Defence said Singh will reiterate India's commitment to the SCO's founding principles and mandates. On the sidelines of the summit, Singh is slated to hold bilateral meetings with counterparts from Russia, China, and other participating nations.