At SCO, Modi hits out at nations that push terror

NEW DELHI: In a veiled swipe against Pakistan and China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday pushed back against double standards in the fight against terror and said the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) shouldn't hesitate in criticising countries that use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of policy

- Rezaul H Laskar

Regional security formed a key part of Modi's televised opening address at the virtual SCO Summit hosted by India, with the Prime Minister insisting that Afghanistan's soil shouldn't be used to destabilise neighbouring countries or to spread extremist ideologies.

India backs proposals for reforming and modernising the SCO, Modi said, adding that Iran's inclusion as the newest member of the Eurasian grouping should spur efforts to use Chabahar port and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) to give the landlocked countries of Central Asia access to the Indian Ocean.

India chaired the SCO for the first time since joining the grouping in 2017, and Modi spoke to a virtual gathering that included Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Without directly naming Pakistan or China and speaking in Hindi, Modi said: "Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of their policies, provide shelter to terrorists. SCO should not hesitate to criticise such nations. There should be no place for double standards on such serious matters."

India has for long accused Pakistan of sheltering terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and supporting cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Amid the border standoff between India and China, Beijing's action of blocking the designation of several Pakistan-based terrorists at the UN Security Council has emerged as another irritant in bilateral ties.

Modi described terrorism as a major threat to regional and global peace and said: "Dealing with this challenge requires decisive action. Regardless of its form or manifestation, we must unite in our fight against terrorism."