Onus on China to take SCO beyond symbolism

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, pressed the platform to take an unambiguous stance against terrorism.

- Harsh V Pant Ayjaz Wani

The Tianjin joint declaration explicitly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack. For New Delhi, this outcome not only reasserted the SCO Charter's central mission of combating terrorism but also turned global attention toward Pakistan's sponsorship of terrorism against member-countries and Eurasia.

The SCO, however, remains riddled with internal contradictions. Several members exploit the forum for narrow security and geopolitical gains, creating trust issues and disagreements within the forum. As a result, the forum has remained largely ineffective in responding to major regional crises, including terrorism, connectivity gaps, and the situation in Afghanistan.

China’s role has been particularly problematic. Beijing continues to shield Pakistan for its use of terrorism as a strategic tool against India—supporting the country at global and regional forums, supplying it with over 80% of its defence equipment between 2020 and 2024, and backing Islamabad during Operation Sindoor.

Beijing's parochial strategic interests have thus made the Af-Pak region a cradle of terrorism, weakening the SCO.