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At the SCO Summit, the member states in the joint declaration adopted a strong stance against terrorism in their statement.
The member states strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April, which killed 26 people. They expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the dead and the wounded. They further stated that perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of such attacks must be brought to justice. The member states, while reaffirming their commitment to the fight against terrorism, separatism, and extremism, stress the inadmissibility of attempts to use terrorist, separatist and extremist groups for mercenary purposes. They recognise the leading role of sovereign states and their competent authorities in countering terrorist and extremist threats. The members strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, stressed that double standards in the fight against terrorism are unacceptable, and called on the international community to combat terrorism, including the cross-border movement of terrorists. The member states also spared thoughts for the Jaffar Express and Khuzdar attacks in Balochistan, and the crisis in Middle East. Notably, on June 26, India refused to sign a joint declaration at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in China, which, according to sources, did not have any mention of the dastardly April 22 terror attack in Pahalagam but mentioned incidents in Pakistan. According to government sources, the Defence Minister did not sign the SCO document as India was not satisfied with the language of the joint document, as there was no mention of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, there was mention of the incidents that happened in Pakistan, so India refused to sign the joint declaration, and there is no joint communique either. Addressing the Defence Ministers' Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in China's Qingdao, Singh said that there should be no place for double standards regarding terrorism, and member countries of the bloc should not hesitate to criticise nations that indulge in such actions. (ANI)
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