Rajnath Refuses to Sign Draft SCO Joint Statement

Pak blocked inclusion of Pahalgam, mention of cross-border terror attacks in document

- MAYANK SINGH @New Delhi

INDIA on Thursday declined to sign a joint declaration at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting in Qingdao, China, as it failed to address the country's concerns on terror.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who represented the country at the meet, sought the inclusion of explicit language condemning terror, particularly cross-border terrorism. However, the proposal was blocked by "one particular country," Pakistan. Also, there was no mention of the recent Pahalgam terror attack in the draft.