New Delhi: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Monday strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and backed India’s position that double standards are unacceptable in the fight against terrorism.
The joint declaration, released at the end of the two-day SCO summit in the Chinese port city, underscored the organisation’s firm resolve to combat terrorism. The summit was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and several other world leaders.
The declaration said the member states “strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22” and also denounced terror strikes on Khuzdar and the Jafar Express in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. “The perpetrators, organisers and patrons of such attacks should be brought to justice,” it said.
The SCO also criticised Israel’s military strikes in Gaza, saying they caused civilian casualties and worsened the humanitarian crisis in the region.
Reaffirming its stand, the declaration said: “Member states strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stress that double standards in the fight against terrorism are unacceptable. The SCO calls on the international community to combat terrorism, including cross-border activities of terrorists.”
The document further rejected attempts to use terrorist, separatist or extremist groups for mercenary purposes and recognised the leading role of sovereign states and their authorities in combating such threats.
