Rajnath Singh flags ‘terrorism’ at SCO meet; Pakistan attends virtually

Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday once again called upon Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states to unitedly fight terrorism and eliminate the menace in all its forms.

Pakistani defence minister Khawaja Asif was scheduled to participate in the meeting through virtual mode.

“We should unitedly fight terrorism. If the SCO has to emerge stronger, we have to fight together. Terror groups are using new methods like social media and crowdfunding,” news agency ANI quoted Singh as saying at the SCO defence ministers’ meeting.

Defence ministers of India, Russia, China and other member nations of the SCO deliberated on pressing regional security challenges and related issues at a conclave hosted by New Delhi. The meeting, chaired by Singh, is also expected to review the overall situation in Afghanistan.

“This forum provides an opportunity for all of us to exchange our views, share our perspectives and concerns. This is an important platform where we can discuss the challenges before us and find solutions,” the defence minister said.

“India sees the SCO as an important entity to promote defence cooperation among member states. We, as a nation, wish to further strengthen the spirit of trust and cooperation among the members of the SCO,” Singh said.

Singh added that India was fully committed to making the SCO stronger, contributing to the implementation of SCO’s mandate and facing our common challenges.

“To ensure a secure, stable and prosperous region, we need to focus on our agenda. This will help in improving the quality of life of the people of each member country,” Singh said.

Officials involved in preparations for the meeting earlier told news agency PTI said the main focus of the deliberations would be on regional security situations including the developments in Afghanistan.

They said enhancing coordination among the SCO member countries to effectively combat terrorism and extremism will be another priority.

The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations.

India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.