No justification for terror, no double standards: Rajnath Singh tells SCO in Dushanbe

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday called on member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to dismantle the entire ecosystem of terrorism, asserting that there can be no justification for terrorism and no double standards in addressing it.

Mr. Singh was speaking at the 25th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The meeting was attended by delegations from member states, including Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.

The SCO is a Eurasian political, economic and security grouping whose members are India, Pakistan, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined the organisation in 2017, and its regional anti-terrorism structure is headquartered in Tashkent.

Addressing the Council, the Defence Minister said: "Terrorism results in the loss of innocent lives and disrupts investment and commerce. It radicalises societies and deprives youth of the opportunities they rightfully deserve. There can be no justification for terrorism, no double standards in addressing it, and no place for those who finance, support, or provide safe havens to terrorists."

Counter-terrorism has been a recurring theme in India's interventions at SCO gatherings. Mr. Singh recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks at the SCO Summit, where he called for concrete steps on security, connectivity and opportunity, and said the organisation must adhere to the principles of sovereign equality, consensus and mutual respect.

On economic cooperation, the Defence Minister called for strengthening resilient supply chains, facilitating trade and investment, and leveraging technology to address global uncertainties arising from geopolitical tensions, trade disruptions, and concerns over energy and food security. He said India supported the adoption of an action plan for the multilateral trade and economic cooperation programme for the period 2026-2030.

Mr. Singh said new SCO mechanisms should address clearly identified needs and avoid duplication of effort. He welcomed the decisions to establish the Universal Centre in Tashkent and the Anti-Drug Centre in Dushanbe as permanent SCO bodies, while stressing the need for effective coordination and timely implementation.

Highlighting regional connectivity, he noted that initiatives such as the International North-South Transport Corridor and Chabahar Port could connect Central Asia with wider markets. Connectivity projects, he added, must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.

The Defence Minister also highlighted India's digital public infrastructure, its start-up ecosystem and women-led development initiatives, alongside the country's international efforts on clean energy and climate resilience.

The meeting reviewed economic and trade cooperation among member states and discussed transport, finance, the digital economy and social development. The Heads of Delegation adopted a joint communiqué, the SCO budget for 2027, and the action plan for multilateral trade and economic cooperation for 2026-2030.

Mr. Singh also invited member states to participate in the first SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum, which India will host later this year.