IN a veiled jibe at China and Pakistan, India on Thursday (4) asked the international community to "isolate and expose" those countries that harbour terrorists, provide safe havens and condone terrorism, saying that if left unchecked, terrorism can become a major threat to regional and global peace.
Delivering prime minister Narendra Modi's remarks at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, Indian external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who attended the meeting in person, recalled that one of the original goals of the SCO is to combat terrorism.
"Many of us have had our experiences, often originating beyond our borders. Let us be clear that if left unchecked, it can become a major threat to regional and global peace. Terrorism in any form or manifestation cannot be justified or condoned," he told the summit, which also saw the presence of Chinese president Xi Jinping, Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and Russian president Vladimir Putin, among others.
Read: Jaishankar raises Indian nationals’ safety in talks with Russian counterpart at SCO meet
The top diplomat said that the international community "must isolate and expose those countries that harbour terrorists, provide safe havens and condone terrorism", in an apparent reference to Pakistan and its all-weather ally China which has often put on hold on proposals in the United Nations to blacklist the Pakistan-based wanted terrorists.
Read: India’s Jaishankar to visit Qatar, focus on boosting ties
"Cross-border terrorism requires a decisive response and terrorism financing and recruitment must be resolutely countered. We should also take proactive steps to prevent the spread of radicalisation among our youth," he said, adding that the joint statement issued during India's presidency of the SCO last year on this subject underlines New Delhi's shared commitment.
Jaishankar also underlined that the SCO provides a unique platform to unite people, collaborate, grow and prosper together, practising the millenia-old principle of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' which means ‘The World is One Family'.
"Delivered India's statement at the Summit of SCO Council of Heads of States on behalf of PM Shri @narendramodi ji. Thank the leaders present for conveying their best wishes to Prime Minister @narendramodi on his re-election for a third successive term," Jaishankar later posted on X.
With nine member states -- India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan - the Beijing-based SCO has emerged as an influential economic and security bloc and one of the largest trans-regional international organisations.
Belarus will be the 10th nation to join as a member. Kazakhstan is hosting the summit in its capacity as the current chair of the grouping.
(With PTI inputs)
A Palestinian boy carrying a bag over his shoulder walks through a heavily damaged street in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on July 31, 2026. Hamas said on July 31, 2026, it had agreed to a deal announced by the US president to end its war with Israel, which includes it handing over its weapons to a Palestinian governing committee and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Getty Images
Protesters trample on photographs of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, along with Israeli and U.S. flags during a rally in Caracas on July 24, 2026, protesting the presence and influence of the United States and Israel in the country, one month after the June 24 earthquakes. Recovering from the earthquakes in Venezuela will take years, the Red Cross said on July 24, one month on from the June 24 disaster that killed more than 5,000 people. Getty Images
