SCO summit

Jt declaration condemns Pahalgam attack, calls for perpetrators to be brought to justice

- JAYANTH JACOB @ New Delhi

WITH his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif in attendance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday used the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit to deliver a pointed warning against cross-border terror, calling the recent Pahalgam attack "an open challenge to every country that believes in humanity".

Without naming Pakistan, Modi condemned "open support for terrorism by some countries" and urged SCO member states to take an unambiguous stand. "No double standards on terrorism will be acceptable," he said, warning that the menace must be opposed "in all its forms and colours". The comments come amid renewed concerns in India over Pakistan-based terror networks and their transnational enablers.