SCO condemns Pahalgham terror attack, backs India

The Pahalgam terror attack was strongly condemned by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Monday, with the bloc endorsing India’s position that the perpetrators of the assault must be brought to justice and that double standards are unacceptable in the fight against terrorism.

- Rezaul H Laskar

SCO also said the members opposed “unilateral coercive measures, including those of an economic nature” that go against accepted UN and WTO norms, an apparent reference to US trade tariffs that have roiled global trade.

The 10-member bloc listed its commitment to fight terrorism and extremism and urged the world community to combat the cross-border movement of terrorists in the Tianjin Declaration adopted at the conclusion of a two-day summit attended by PM Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif.

However, the SCO sought to strike a balance by also condemning two terror attacks in Pakistan's Balochistan province this year, including one on the Jaffer Express train in March, with the joint declaration saying sovereign states and their authorities should take the “leading role” in countering terrorist threats.

“[The SCO member states] 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 joint declaration said.